Sterling. Their
Custom Of Entertaining Strangers Is Much The Same As At Szalt; They Have
Eight Menzels, Or Medhafe (Arabic), For The Reception Of Guests, Six Of
Which Belong To The Turks, And Two To The Christians; Their Expenses Are
Not Defrayed By A Common Purse:
But whenever a stranger takes up his
lodging at one of the Medhafes, one of the people present declares
That
he intends to furnish that day’s entertainment, and it is then his duty
to provide a dinner or supper, which he sends to the Medhafe, and which
is always in sufficient quantity for a large company. A goat or a lamb
is generally killed on the occasion, and barley for the guest’s horse is
also furnished. When a stranger enters the town the people almost come
to blows with one another in their eagerness to have him for their
guest, and there are Turks who every other day kill a goat for this
hospitable purpose. Indeed it is a custom here, even with respect to
their own neighbours, that whenever a visitor enters a house, dinner or
supper is to be immediately set before him. Their love of entertaining
strangers is carried to such a length, that not long ago, when a
Christian silversmith, who came from Jerusalem to work for the ladies,
and who, being an industrious man, seldom stirred out of his shop, was
on the point of departure after a two months residence, each of the
principal families of the town sent him a lamb, saying that it was not
just that he should lose his due, though he did not choose to come and
dine with them.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 486 of 870
Words from 131718 to 131996
of 236498
