Ethiopian Culture Quick Facts

[bic4643 0]

I have found my Ethiopian spouse and her community tend to be very quiet about their culture. So I have compiled a list of interesting facts that other Americans spouses might find interesting.

Quick Facts about Ethiopian Culture...

• 80 million population. Major business languages are Amharic and English.

• The world’s oldest Christian nation with a large Muslim population. Most are farmers.

• Mixture of Middle East/ African culture. Conservative, proud, friendly, polite, and quiet nature.

• Average annual income is about 300 USD. Professionals average 400 USD a month,

• Popular greeting is the hand shake with an Italian/French style kiss on the cheek.

• Average Ethiopian has over 2,000 family and friends in their social network.

• Coffee is the national beverage. Ethiopia invented coffee and it’s their number one export crop.

• There is a traditional coffee ceremony for neighbors and friends on special occasions.

• All meals are hot and spicy stew served on bread called injera. Food is eaten with the right hand.

• Family oriented culture. Traditional male and female roles are enforced in the home.

• Women are usually expected to live with their parents until marriage.

• Women traditionally do not adopt their husbands “surname” in marriage.

• Underage marriage was common in the rural areas but is now illegal.

• Ethiopians do not have last names (surnames). Most are unaware of western surname custom.

• Orthodox Christians fast over 200 days a year and never eat pork.

• Orthodox Christians fast using a vegan diet. (No meat, no dairy during the fast)

• Weddings can last over 3 days. Gifts to the bride’s family from the groom are expected.

• Average woman has 5 children. Arranged marriages are common in rural areas.

• Family honor is a big deal. Dishonesty or criminal conduct is rare.

• Bribery, nepotism, and cronyism are common practice in business and government.

• Controversial news and speech is censored by the government.

• Challenge to authority and public arguments is rare.

• Nudity, pre-marital sex, children out of wedlock, and divorce are rare.

• Public discussions about sex between men and women are rare.

• Ethiopians claim there are no homosexuals in their society.

• Prostitution is legal but very discrete.

• Most who claim to be fluent in English are not. English comprehension is low.

• Most Ethiopians are not aware of that their customs and traditions are unknown in the west.

• Most have a distorted understanding of western culture and traditions.

• Quality of education background is low, 97% women are housewives.

• Quality of medical and dental care is poor. Most are reluctant to seek medical attention.

• The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months. The 13th month has five days (or six days in a leap year).

• The Ethiopian New Year begins in early September.

• Subtract 8 years from the western year to get the current Ethiopian year.

• Ethiopians clocks are 24 hours but start their day at 6am. Subtract by six to get western time.

• Ethiopians refer to world time as faranji (“foreigner”) time.

• Access to the internet is considered expensive and is usually through internet café rental.

• Cell phones are very popular. Failed connections and dropped calls are common.

• Adjustment to American English takes about 1 year after immigration.

• Many immigrant women are attracted to medical/health profession and men are taxi drivers.

[Love Eth 14]

I have found my Ethiopian spouse and her community tend to be very quiet about their culture. So I have compiled a list of interesting facts that other Americans spouses might find interesting.

Quick Facts about Ethiopian Culture...

• 80 million population. Major business languages are Amharic and English.

• The world's oldest Christian nation with a large Muslim population. Most are farmers.

• Mixture of Middle East/ African culture. Conservative, proud, friendly, polite, and quiet nature.

• Average annual income is about 300 USD. Professionals average 400 USD a month,

• Popular greeting is the hand shake with an Italian/French style kiss on the cheek.

• Average Ethiopian has over 2,000 family and friends in their social network.

• Coffee is the national beverage. Ethiopia invented coffee and it's their number one export crop.

• There is a traditional coffee ceremony for neighbors and friends on special occasions.

• All meals are hot and spicy stew served on bread called injera. Food is eaten with the right hand.

• Family oriented culture. Traditional male and female roles are enforced in the home.

• Women are usually expected to live with their parents until marriage.

• Women traditionally do not adopt their husbands "surname" in marriage.

• Underage marriage was common in the rural areas but is now illegal.

• Ethiopians do not have last names (surnames). Most are unaware of western surname custom.

• Orthodox Christians fast over 200 days a year and never eat pork.

• Orthodox Christians fast using a vegan diet. (No meat, no dairy during the fast)

• Weddings can last over 3 days. Gifts to the bride's family from the groom are expected.

• Average woman has 5 children. Arranged marriages are common in rural areas.

• Family honor is a big deal. Dishonesty or criminal conduct is rare.

• Bribery, nepotism, and cronyism are common practice in business and government.

• Controversial news and speech is censored by the government.

• Challenge to authority and public arguments is rare.

• Nudity, pre-marital sex, children out of wedlock, and divorce are rare.

• Public discussions about sex between men and women are rare.

• Ethiopians claim there are no homosexuals in their society.

• Prostitution is legal but very discrete.

• Most who claim to be fluent in English are not. English comprehension is low.

• Most Ethiopians are not aware of that their customs and traditions are unknown in the west.

• Most have a distorted understanding of western culture and traditions.

• Quality of education background is low, 97% women are housewives.

• Quality of medical and dental care is poor. Most are reluctant to seek medical attention.

• The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months. The 13th month has five days (or six days in a leap year).

• The Ethiopian New Year begins in early September.

• Subtract 8 years from the western year to get the current Ethiopian year.

• Ethiopians clocks are 24 hours but start their day at 6am. Subtract by six to get western time.

• Ethiopians refer to world time as faranji ("foreigner") time.

• Access to the internet is considered expensive and is usually through internet café rental.

• Cell phones are very popular. Failed connections and dropped calls are common.

• Adjustment to American English takes about 1 year after immigration.

• Many immigrant women are attracted to medical/health profession and men are taxi drivers.

Thanks for this little brief information about my country

Good luck

[dearmom 0]

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my country.For the most part you are absolutely right.if i may add you forgot to mention Ethiopian ladies are very beautiful.

[kjenkins86 5]

Wow, very very interesting and different from American culture. I found a few facts amusing, almost unbelievable. Thanks for sharing!

[fazmo 24]

Nice compilation. With very few exceptions, you are right on spot. Few more people may not know.

Largest ethnic group is Oromo people, followed by Amhara

Addis Ababa, the capital, hosts the second largest diplomats in the world (after New York)

Respect for elderly people is expected (you cannot argue with a very old man for taking your seat )

Long courtship is common in relationship (no pickup lines)

Street beggars (including children) are common

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Could the reason for this...

• Women traditionally do not adopt their husband's “surname” in marriage.

...be this?

• Ethiopians do not have last names (surnames).

[fazmo 24]

Could the reason for this...

• Women traditionally do not adopt their husband's “surname” in marriage.

...be this?

• Ethiopians do not have last names (surnames).

In the US, we identify people with three names (first, middle and last name). In Ethiopia, a person is also identified with the three name combination - but quite differently (first/personal, father's and grandfather's name). The only difference is that in the west, middle name can be a name other than that of one's father and last name is usually not the grandfather's name but a shared surname or family name. An Ethiopian child cannot have the same last (or third name to be precise) with his father because they would have different grandfather. In US, surnames are sort of a symbol of a family (you belong to that family - which may explain why women take the new family's last name) whereas in Ethiopia, the third name is just the grandfather's name (now you cannot have the same grandfather with your husband, right?)

The other big difference is that in the US, the emphasis are on first and last name (middle name is left out mostly and some even don't have it). In Ethiopia, the first and the second (personal and father's name) is emphasized. For example, the US embassy in Addis Ababa will call you by the personal and father's name over the PA system (unless they know you are a US citizen).

[bic4643 0]

Could the reason for this...

• Women traditionally do not adopt their husband's “surname” in marriage.

...be this?

• Ethiopians do not have last names (surnames).

I don't have all the answers because Ethiopians (including my wife) don't share the intimate details of their culture with the outside world. However, if you ask them the right question directly, they will give you the answer you are looking for. However, it took me almost 3 years to figure out my wife's naming custom and ask her to explain it to me. In the beginning she seemed amused that I was unaware of her naming custom. I later realized the misunderstanding was mutual as she didn't really understand the origin of my western name as well. Here is a small segment of what I wrote on this topic a few months ago.

The western tradition of passing the family name (surname) from one generation to another is unknown in Ethiopian culture. Instead, Ethiopian children usually receive only one name (rarely two or more) at birth. This personal name is attached to the biological father’s name (rarely other names other than the biological father’s name are also used) and, together, it becomes a (habesha) a one-name system, used to describe a particular individual.

For example, Abebe Bikilla is the name of an individual whose father’s name is Bikilla. Unlike a western surname, the” habesha” name it is not passed on to the next generation as a second name.

Ethiopian women do not change their family name. This would seem obvious, as their second name is not a surname. I assume Ethiopian woman do not change their last name out of respect to their father. When asked their last name Ethiopians will usually respond, " You mean my father's or my grandfather's name?" Most Ethiopians who settle in the US use their fathers' name as their (last name/family name), although some use their grandfathers' name as their last or middle name.

This misunderstanding resulted in my wife having two different last names on her immigration documents. It took several weeks to correct this costly mistake. Also, be aware the synonymous use of the terms (family name /last name) on Americans documents, is equally confusing for Ethiopian nationals. To minimize the usual confusion during the drafting or review of identification to be used in official US documents, Ethiopian nationals should be informed of western naming traditions. Then advise them to use their passport names to create a western style (family/last/ middle name).

[bic4643 0]

Nice compilation. With very few exceptions, you are right on spot. Few more people may not know.

Largest ethnic group is Oromo people, followed by Amhara

Addis Ababa, the capital, hosts the second largest diplomats in the world (after New York)

Respect for elderly people is expected (you cannot argue with a very old man for taking your seat )

Long courtship is common in relationship (no pickup lines)

Street beggars (including children) are common

Thank you I have added this information to my list of facts...

[bic4643 0]

Wow, very very interesting and different from American culture. I found a few facts amusing, almost unbelievable. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. I had fun putting this list of facts together. I find Ethiopian culture facinating for many reasons including the fact they won't explain much about their ways until you ask them. So, I continue to learn new things every day...

[bic4643 0]

In the US, we identify people with three names (first, middle and last name). In Ethiopia, a person is also identified with the three name combination - but quite differently (first/personal, father's and grandfather's name). The only difference is that in the west, middle name can be a name other than that of one's father and last name is usually not the grandfather's name but a shared surname or family name. An Ethiopian child cannot have the same last (or third name to be precise) with his father because they would have different grandfather. In US, surnames are sort of a symbol of a family (you belong to that family - which may explain why women take the new family's last name) whereas in Ethiopia, the third name is just the grandfather's name (now you cannot have the same grandfather with your husband, right?)

The other big difference is that in the US, the emphasis are on first and last name (middle name is left out mostly and some even don't have it). In Ethiopia, the first and the second (personal and father's name) is emphasized. For example, the US embassy in Addis Ababa will call you by the personal and father's name over the PA system (unless they know you are a US citizen).

Very interesting....I also was told Ethiopians usually do not have a middle name either. What appears as a middle name is usually a name appended to the given name at baptism. Occasionally, the paternal grandfather's name is used.

[bic4643 0]

Nice compilation. With very few exceptions, you are right on spot. Few more people may not know.

Largest ethnic group is Oromo people, followed by Amhara

Addis Ababa, the capital, hosts the second largest diplomats in the world (after New York)

Respect for elderly people is expected (you cannot argue with a very old man for taking your seat )

Long courtship is common in relationship (no pickup lines)

Street beggars (including children) are common

Wow very interesting...I've added your information to my list of facts...thank you!!!

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my country.For the most part you are absolutely right.if i may add you forgot to mention Ethiopian ladies are very beautiful.

Thank you, I know I have much more to learn about your culture.

[bic4643 0]

Thanks for this little brief information about my country

Good luck

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed my post.

[bic4643 0]

Greetings Ethiopian Friends and family,

American Naming tradtion -

I'm pleased with the comments from my Ethiopian fast facts post. There seems to be lot of interest in the respective naming traditions. My wife suggested that I explain the American naming tradition to Ethiopians who might not have a clear understanding of its history.

The American surname tradition originates from Western Europe. The father’s family name is adopted by his wife during marriage, and then passed down to their children.

This 600 year old western naming tradition derives from several sources: the nickname or first name of an ancestor; the ancestral village, or occupation of the father’s ancestors. Traditionally, American women and other western cultures change their family name when they marry. If an American woman remarries several times she might have to change her family name accordingly. If the woman is not marred, or the father of her children is unknown, the children are given the mothers family surname.

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Fascinating! Thanks, si man.