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 A street scene by TheWanderingCamel
Hand over your gift as soon as you possibly can murmuring "this is for the house" or something similar. However much your gift is appreciated you are unlikely to receive more than a polite thank you. This is normal.
In many households people take off their shoes when entering, so wear slip on shoes or sandals in case.
If you are invited to a meal, almost certainly a spoon will be offered, don't hesitate to accept it. Everybody may eat from a common plate, take the food immediately opposite to you only. Somebody will certainly pile up "your" sector with the choicest pieces, eat what you can. When you are full, say so (no need to burp!). Water is offered at the end of the meal, drink it down quickly and hand the glass back!!
After a meal, coffee will be served, probably tea also after a short interval, or perhaps soft drinks. . In general, an invitation to supper is not necessarily an invitation to spend the evening, so after this, you should offer to leave; you will be pressed to stay, it is for you to decide how sincere this is - roughly base yourself on how animated the conversation has been, how much you are enjoying yourself, how much you think THEY are enjoying themselves
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 by TheWanderingCamelLeave a Comment
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 Milking a camel by TheWanderingCamel
When you arrive somewhere in response to an invitation or at an official reception of any kind (in which I include weddings and so forth), you will probably be greeted by a senior member of the household (or as senior as is free at that particular moment), offering you coffee. In this case, the coffee is very strong and bitter, and is just a few drops in the bottom of a handleless cup. Drink it down in one gulp (yes, I know it's also very hot!) and hand back the cup, shaking it as described above. Later, you will probably be offered "normal" coffee, but this is the welcome to the household. Very occasionally you might meet this welcome ritual in a hotel. Leave a Comment
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 Gold bracelets at a wedding by TheWanderingCamel
She receives gold from her husband as a "settlement" and often gold from her family as well. This is given at the betrothal ceremony and more is offered at the wedding.
A reasonably prosperous man will offer his daughter a gold necklace or sometimes even a collection of gold jewellery: a necklace or even two, a bracelet or several and probably ear rings and rings as well. All this she will wear at the wedding, as well as the jewellery the bridegroom gave her at the betrothal ceremony. A popular girl from a reasonably well off family will go to her bridegroom fairly dripping with all the gold she owns. This is a mark of their status.
She will almost certainly receive more from her new husband and his family. This gold and the money she receives are her personal property and it has been held a cause of divorce if a husband should take any of it without his wife's agreement. Leave a Comment
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 Me, smoking the waterpipe by dabuwan
The smoke is very light and cool; it's a very relaxing practice and some waterpipes are really nicely decorated handwork.
Usually there is a guy who helps to light it and replaces periodically the burning charcoals. Typical price is 1.5 €. Leave a Comment
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I will go back to Jordan for konafah (k’naffy). This is a wonderful sweet confectionary mad of goat’s milk, topped with phyllo and crushed pistachio, then warm syrup is poured over. It is served warm and one of the most wonderful sweets I ever had!
There are more of these wonderfully freshly made sweet stuff mad in those big round tins!
There are also the other typical Middle-Eastern sweets available from sweet shops like Habibah, in Amman.
Sweet shops are in all the towns I visited in Jordan.
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I think Jordanian men are addicted to caffeine and nicotine :-)
Other than normal cigarettes the nargileh (hubbly-bubbly) is a very popular local custom.
You usually find these in coffee shops, where you can order a prepared water pipe, and a flavour of your choice.
It is a very relaxing and sociable experience.
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There are many barber shops in every town I visited in Jordan. Like in North Africa, India, Oman, Turkey etc, I never had to shave whilst in Jordan.
It is always a nice experience to get a very smooth shave by these masters with the blade.
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It is very important to remember that men and women do not touch each other unless one is the parent or the spouse.
Some people have taken on western ways, but it is the custom that a woman not shake hands when meeting a man.
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