Ethiopia — Culture
Customs
The Ethiopian Highlands are mainly Orthodox Christian and restaurants do not serve meat dishes on Wednesdays, Fridays and during Lent. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, which consists of 13 months (12 months of 30 days, the thirteenth month has five or six days), and in 2008 the year is 2000/2001 in Ethiopia. There is a six-hour difference between Ethiopian time and Western time, so 3am in Western time will be 9am Ethiopian time (add six hours to the time). Homosexuality is illegal. Shoes should be removed before entering mosques and churches. Photographs should not be taken of military buildings and airports, and permission should be asked before photographing religious festivals and people.
Tipping
Tourist hotels and restaurants usually add a 10% service charge to the bill. Otherwise tipping is fairly common, but only small amounts are customary.
Featured Tours to Ethiopia
iExplore Ethiopia Experience
Much of the fascination with Ethiopia lies in its myriad of historical sites, the obelisks and stele of Axum, the churches and coptic monasteries…
