Greek Hospitality

Hospitality   

Not just a word but more like a life value.   

Especially, for the Greeks since ancient times. Hospitality='Filoxenia' (friend to foreigners) 

Hospitality was really important for Greeks and it was always well shown through long travels such as Odysseus' in The Odyssey. In the old days, traveling used to be more difficult and took more time. Plus, less advanced methods of transportation were in usage. Reaching to a specific destination could take days or even months and the staying could last longer than modern days. Because of this, many more nights were spent away from home.

Also, back then due to the absence of hotels or inns it was hard for travelers to find a solution for their human needs. This resulted in travelers relying on the hospitality of others for shelter, food, and protection.    

There was, however, some gratefulness exchanged with a gift, for the hospitality received.

The Greek term that is often translated into the English term “hospitality” is the word φιλόξενος. The word is a combination of two concepts, that break down as follows: φιλό (pronounced Philao) is one of several words for “friend” in Greek and the word ξένος (pronounced xenos) which means ‘'foreigner or 'stranger'’ making filoxenia/hospitality ‘’friendliness towards the foreigner/stranger'’. 

The fundamentals of Greek hospitality were very clearly seen throughout the Odyssey.  During the travel of Odysseus, strangers were invited in for a feast, showered with gifts and luxuries, and lastly were asked about their identity and what their business was.   

Furthermore, hospitality was used as expedient to spread one’s name and bring them a sense of fame, if they would provide a high standard of hospitality to strangers.  It also could have been a way to show how wealthy one was.   

Additionally, during ancient times, hospitality was treated as a test from the gods. It was believed that Zeus, father of all gods, demanded superb hospitality upon mortals. Since hosts had no way of knowing who their guests were, they were forced to treat every visitor as if they were a god.  By treating every guest like a god, there was no mistake of accidentally treating a god differently, just in case one was to show up at their door disguised as a stranger.    

It was also believed that refusal to provide hospitality would result in some form of punishment from the gods, also known as nemesis.   

But how do people nowadays react to foreigners? Is hospitality as expected now as it was in the old time, and if not, why is that?  It seems as though hospitality in modern times can still be seen, but in a different way than those in Homeric times. Hosts don’t usually provide food, protection, and shelter to a stranger that arrives at their door without identifying the foreigner first. However, hospitality is still shown in modern society. Especially, Greek islands host an incredible number of immigrants within their households and communities. Although the hospitality traditions of Homer’s time are not being presently practiced, Greek ideology has not drifted far and hospitality isn’t yet scarce. 

It’s a generosity of spirit that has benefited the recipients. With Greece’s impoverished state structure stretched to breaking point, refugees mostly rely on the sympathy of locals. 

Despite eight years of economic hardship, ordinary Greek people show astonishing generosity by helping 42,000 migrants stranded within Greek boarders.   

Without a doubt, Ancient Greeks were very hospitable. Nevertheless, that hasn’t changed too much over the centuries. Greece may be currently facing financial difficulties and lack of resources to provide a better dwelling to foreigners but their hearts are always warm. No matter what race, color or gender, Greeks have always supported foreigners, immigrants, refugees, travelers in order to help other nations and people.   

Thank you, for your time.

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