Greek Culture and Manners: Traveler Guide to Custom for Greece

Why Greek manners matter

Greek people well known say dem warm, loud and generous. Hospitality, or filoxenia (love for stranger), na real cultural value, no be just cliche. If you understand small custom, e go help you connect with local people from Athens to the smallest Cycladic village.

Greeting and first impression

• Handshake with eye contact dey work for first meeting. Friends go greet with kiss for both cheek.
• Say yia sou (hello, informal) or yia sas (formal/plural). Kalimera mean good morning, kalispera mean good evening.
• Greek people dey stand close and touch arm while dem dey talk. No back away; e go read as cold behaviour.
• Watch out with the open-palm gesture (the moutza) - to show your palm with finger spread toward person na serious insult.

Chop time and the kafeneio

• Lunch dey late (around 2-3pm) and dinner dey later still, often after 9pm.
• Meal dey shared. Order plenty mezedes for the whole table instead of individual plate.
• Host go keep dey refill your cup and plate; if you leave small food e mean say you don satisfy.
• Never rush your meal. To linger for coffee or tsipouro na the point, e no be waste of time.
• Toast with yamas! (cheers, to our health).

Tipping for Greece

• Tipping dem dey appreciate but e small. For taverna, round up or leave 5-10% na normal.
• For 40 euro meal, leaving 2-4 euro na generous.
• Leave coin for the kafeneio waiter and around 1-2 euro per bag for hotel porter.
• Taxi fare dem usually round up to the nearest euro.

Do and don't

• Do dress well for monastery like Meteora and Mount Athos area site - cover shoulder and knee, and woman go often need skirt.
• Do accept coffee, sweet or shot of raki wey dem offer you; if you refuse e fit offend person.
• Don't discuss the name dispute over Macedonia or Greek-Turkish politics anyhow.
• Don't insult Greek coffee by calling am Turkish coffee.
• Don't surprise for passionate, loud conversation - na enthusiasm, no be vex.

Religion and festival

Greek Orthodoxy dey shape the calendar. Easter dey bigger pass Christmas, with midnight candle and roast lamb. Name day dey matter pass birthday sometimes - if you meet Maria or Yiannis for their saint day, wish them chronia polla (many years).

Stay connected for Greece

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