Hospitality
The Yorubas are one of the
major ethnic groups in Nigeria. They are mainly found in the South-Western part
of the country. They are popular for two things-education and culture. In this
case, we want to focus on the later which is culture.
Although almost all ethnic
groups in Nigeria are culturally conscious, that of the Yorubas is a notch
higher. Hence as a traveller to states such as Osun, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and
Ekiti; you are expected to know or be aware of some cultural rules which you
cannot find in a book. You are taught from your childhood. In order not to fall
foul of these unwritten cultural rules, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel
agency shares some of these rules.
Greeting
is a must
It is an 'abomination' if
you walk past a Yoruba man or woman without greeting. It is even worse when you
know them and you still do not greet. They will perceive you as uncultured,
disrespectful and lacking home training.
Give
elders items with your left hand
You must have observed
that some people frown their faces or do not accept an item from the giver if
you offer it with your left hand. This is one of the ways to indirectly
'offend' a Yoruba person. Even among your peers, you should not give items with
your left hand. Always use your right hand.
Don't
call your sister/brother by their name
For the Yorubas, even if
the age difference is just a year, you must add a prefix like aunt or uncle. It
is even more unacceptable if you call someone way older than you by their name.
The person will just ignore or be lackadaisical.
Leave when parents have a
visitor (s)
If you do not want to get
into trouble with your parents especially your mum, you should leave when they
have visitors. They do not want you to eavesdrop. If you decide to stay, the
reward is a dirty slap from your mum!
Always
eat your meat last
We do not know the source
of this rule but when dining with a Yoruba family, you should always eat your
meat last.
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