Culture & Etiquette
The state religion is Islam and the majority of Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Women should wear conservative clothing, mostly skirts or dresses, and other religious practices should be respected. For example, you should only eat with the right hand and it is not acceptable to drink alcohol or eat pork.
It is considered polite to leave a small amount of food on a plate after finishing a meal at another's home, in order to let the host know that you have had enough to eat. Cleaning your plate indicates that you are still hungry. Although some Somalis don't take this rule too seriously, it is certainly not impolite to leave a few bits of food on the plate.
Local customs should be observed and respected. For example, although Somali men greet each other with handshakes, men should not shake hands with women unless they are close relatives or a family member. Common verbal greetings include:
- Subax/aroor wanaagsan (Good morning)
- Galab wanaagsan (Good afternoon)
- Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you)
- Habeen wanaagsan (Good night/good evening)
- Iska waran (How are you?)
- Nabad (I'm fine or literally translated, it means peace)
Somalis often use sweeping hand and arm gestures to dramatise speech, and many ideas are expressed through specific hand gestures. For example:
- A swift twist of the open hand means "nothing" or "no"
- Snapping fingers may mean "long ago" or and "so on"
- A thumb under the chin indicates "fullness"
Men in Somalia wear basic, casual businesswear on a daily basis.