This excerpt first appeared in Encarta Interactive World Atlas (1998) and describes the cultural habits and social customs of the country’s people.

Saudi Arabia: Customs and Lifestyle

Diet and Eating

Saudi dishes are composed mainly of rice with lamb or chicken, and are mildly spicy. Kabsah, which is rice and lamb, is a favourite dish throughout the country. Rice is also often served with vegetables and a green salad. Fruit is commonly eaten for dessert, accompanied by Saudi coffee, which is brewed with cardamom. Seafood is popular on the coast, and there are many varieties of fish. Coffee or tea is served before all meals. Buttermilk and camel's milk are also popular drinks. Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol, and these products are not available in Saudi Arabia.

In general, food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only. Bread may be torn with the left hand but is eaten with the right. Hotels have a variety of restaurants, including Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, and North American. Traditionally, the main meal of the day is eaten in the mid-afternoon (usually after 2 pm), when children are home from school and parents from work. Those whose offices remain open in the afternoon now have their main meal in the evening. Conversation is often minimal during the main course of a meal; people prefer to talk before and especially after the meal, while they drink tea or coffee.

Recreation

Football is the national sport, but only men are allowed to play or watch at the stadium. There are private sporting clubs throughout the country. Saudi men also enjoy horse and camel races (no betting is allowed, but winners receive prizes), as well as hunting and falconry. Falconry involves hunting for small game with falcons and requires great skill in training the birds. Young men enjoy volleyball, basketball, swimming, wrestling, and roller skating. The coastal areas provide excellent locations for sailing, diving, and fishing. Women are generally not involved in sports and do not participate in most other leisure activities, but young women play volleyball and other sports at school. Women visit other women, go on family outings to museums, playgrounds, and amusement parks, and do volunteer work. Videos are popular with all Saudi Arabians, but they are subject to strict censorship and are often severely edited; there are no cinemas.

In Saudi Arabia there is a long tradition of hospitality, which has its roots in the ancient custom that any traveller in the desert who ran into difficulty could receive protection for three and one-third days. Invitations to a Saudi Arabian home are often given to a man alone. If his wife is invited, she may go to eat with the other women in a separate room or other quarters. Upon entering a house, people often remove their shoes. It is inappropriate for a first-time guest to take a gift to the woman of the house. Otherwise, gift giving is common. Dinner guests usually present flowers, sweets, or other small items to the hosts as appreciation for their hospitality.

Holidays and Celebrations

Because the Islamic year is based on the lunar calendar, it may be up to 11 days shorter than a year based on the Western calendar. Islamic holidays fall on different days from year to year. The Islamic calendar begins at the year of the Hegira, the migration of Muhammad from Mecca (Makkah) to Medina in the 7th century AD. The year 1995, therefore, roughly corresponds to the Islamic year of 1415.

The most important holidays in Saudi Arabia include the three-day feast of 'Aid al-Fitr, which is enjoyed at the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. Children receive gifts at this time, and wear new clothing. 'Aid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice) commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son at Allah's behest. This feast also celebrates the annual Haj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, during which it occurs. The birth of the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic New Year are also celebrated.

A secular holiday is National Day, which is observed on 23 September of the Western calendar.

Source: Encarta Interactive World Atlas

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Saudi Arabia