Africa? 1? Climate and customs of Angola

Angola is located in the southwest of Africa, and several kingdoms were formed as early as the Middle Ages. This is a country with a long history and ancient culture. More than 98% of the national population belongs to the black race of Bantu nigro. It is one of the few countries in Africa that don't fast pork and can't help drinking. Its customs and habits have distinctive African local characteristics.

Interestingly, the appellations of Angolans are quite similar to those of Han people in China, such as grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, uncle and aunt, but they also have the habit of addressing the elderly or foreign guests as mom and dad. In public or diplomatic occasions, people usually call each other Mr., Your Excellency, Mrs., Ms., Miss, etc. And they are always associated with each other's positions, such as your Excellency the President and Mr. Minister. Angola is a country of etiquette, and local residents pay great attention to etiquette. The younger generation always greets their elders, and the elders always nod their thanks politely. The local residents always greet guests from foreign countries warmly and cordially, and are very polite. When familiar relatives and friends meet, they shake hands warmly, then kiss each other on the cheek, and finally hold hands to gossip, patting each other's palms with their right hands while chatting, which is intimate and particularly friendly. In rural areas, when many women meet foreign female guests, even strangers, they will take the initiative to say hello, and then dance around the guests. Their mouths are full of rhythmic cheers, which makes teenage guests blush and feel helpless, but the locals think this is to express their most friendly feelings.

Angolans are also popular with a special greeting etiquette: joking and telling jokes. The more intimate people are, the more presumptuous their jokes are and the language of their jokes is extremely sharp. In Angola, joking and telling jokes are regarded as a form of emotional communication and deepening friendly relations. There is a local proverb: "Joking is cold water sprinkled on your head in hot weather and a stimulant injected when you are tired, which not only makes people feel happy, but also brings more sincere treatment among friends." Angolans joke and tell jokes mostly among friends, with a wide range of contents and various forms. If Angolans shake hands with you and find that you have lost weight, they will say, "Friend! You have lost weight. " See your body fat, always say "brother! You are as rich as a bear. " Don't make a fuss about foreign guests. This is a sincere and warm greeting from Angolans who regard you as a bosom friend by joking and telling jokes. Foreign guests can also say "my little fool" and "clever puppy" and tell a few jokes moderately. It should be noted that if the other person is not a joker and doesn't take the initiative to joke with you or tell jokes, don't make jokes with the other person rashly, let alone tell some outrageous jokes.

Angolans are hospitable. Strangers may become bosom friends after meeting and chatting for a while, so they take the initiative to invite each other to their home, offer the best food at home, and send some local souvenirs or folk handicrafts as commemorative gifts when they leave. The local people's staple food is corn, cassava, millet and so on. Because the local area is rich in tropical fruits, many people often eat bananas, mangoes and papayas. Angolans cook food in a unique way. Most people like to eat roasted corn cob or sorghum-corn-milk scones. Many people also like to use sorghum paste, corn paste and melon, fruit, beans, salt and so on. Boil it into thick porridge. Cassava is abundant in the local area, and the local people eat cassava in various ways, or cut it into pieces and cook it before pouring soup, or grind it into powder and boil it with water to make a paste, and then mix it with thick juice made of tomatoes, fish pieces or diced meat, or make diced steamed bread and diced fish with cassava powder.

There are many ways for local people to eat bananas, except as fruit, or drying bananas and grinding them into flour to make banana cakes, or cutting banana cores into pieces and frying them in an oil pan to make fried bananas, or peeling bananas, steaming or boiling them into mud, and pouring them with thick juice made of vegetables, fish, meat and chicken. Or bake it on the fire and peel it for eating. These ethnic and local dishes of Angolans will always leave a beautiful and unforgettable impression on people in foreign countries after eating them. When local state-owned enterprises or private enterprises hold business banquets, they always arrange for customers to eat western food in hotels or restaurants. The cooking skills of local chefs are not low, and the French or Italian dishes made are not worse than those eaten in France or Italy. When eating, in addition to the staple food and vegetables, there are also various wines. The host doesn't advise the wine, and the guests choose for themselves.

Angolans entertain guests with coffee, soda, orange juice, mango juice, banana juice, papaya juice, tea and cold water. When visiting a friend's house in Angola, a large porcelain pot or crock in the living room is particularly eye-catching. It is filled with cold water. People who are concerned boil raw water and inject it. Many families simply pour tap water into it. The local climate is hot. Your mouth is thirsty when you enter the room from outside. When you drink a glass of cold water, you can't express your happiness in words. In many hotel rooms, there is always a basin of cold water for guests, even in five-star hotels. At a formal banquet, everyone present has all kinds of drinks, but a glass of cold water is essential.

When you are invited to a friend's house in Angola, you must be on time for the appointment. It's impolite to be late, and the host will be caught off guard early. When entering the owner's house, first of all, pay attention to whether the owner wears shoes indoors. If the host takes off his shoes when he enters the door, the guests should also learn to take off their shoes when they enter the door, because many people enter the carpeted living room without shoes. When you enter the living room, you should sit in the position specified by the host. After taking a seat, during the conversation between the host and the guest, the sitting posture should be dignified and the spirit should be concentrated. You shouldn't look around. Take the initiative to accept drinks and fruits from the host and say something of thanks. When talking, we should avoid the political situation, state leaders and religious issues. We can talk about some achievements in building the country since Angola achieved national reconciliation and praise the hard work and wisdom of the Angolan people.

Due to the rule of western colonialism for more than 500 years, the influence of western culture is deeply rooted. Nearly half of Angola's population believes in Roman Catholicism, and another 13% believes in Protestantism. Some of their taboos are similar to those in western countries. For example, the number "13" is considered dangerous and unlucky, which makes people shudder, so they try their best to avoid it. In many cities, the number "13" is not used for house number, hotel room number, floor number, banquet table number or even car number. No banquet will be arranged on 13, and it is also taboo for 13 people to eat at the same table. Friday is also taboo. If "13" and "Friday" happen to be on the same day, people call this day "Black Friday". Not only is there no activity in the local area, but many people will be on tenterhooks all day, as if disaster is coming.

They are so taboo about the number "13", which is said to come from a Christian legend. It is said that Judas, one of the proud disciples of Jesus 12, sold Jesus to the authorities in Judaism for 30 silver coins and personally led the way for those who arrested Jesus. Jesus was crucified because of Judas' betrayal. The last supper, a famous Italian painter leonardo da vinci, depicts Jesus having dinner with his disciples on the eve of betrayal. 13 in the picture is Judas. Therefore, people who believe in Christianity and Catholicism generally think that the number "13" is a symbol of misfortune. People think Friday is unlucky. According to Christian legend, Friday is the day when Jesus was crucified. Another legend is that on Friday, Adam and Eve violated God's prohibition, ate the forbidden fruit ("the fruit of wisdom"), committed a crime and were driven out of heaven! Both legends believe that "Friday" is related to death, and death is naturally unlucky.

Luanda, the capital of Angola, and many towns are full of modern houses, with wide and straight roads and high-rise buildings, and hotels, restaurants, bars and casinos are extremely luxurious. In rural areas, especially in remote areas, many people still live in traditional African thatched houses with spires. Villages of different sizes are naturally formed, with geographical features close to water sources and some convenient transportation. There are only a few households in small villages and hundreds in large villages. The traditional chieftain responsibility system is implemented in the village. Whenever something important happens in the village, the chieftain will come forward to convene the elders in the village to discuss and decide. Polygamy is very common in rural areas. It is not surprising that a man has two or three wives, and it is not surprising that he has five or six wives. As for the number of wives of the chief, even the locals are not sure. Until now, the marriage affairs of young men and women in rural areas are still controlled by their parents, who are masters and matchmakers. Blind date, engagement and marriage all cost a sum of money, especially the woman's parents need to buy a decent dowry for their daughter's marriage. With the progress of society, educated young men and women meet, fall in love and get married through social occasions, but it also costs a lot of money.