Coffee ceremony
The “coffee ceremony” is core to Ethiopian culture and hospitality
It is unclear how or when it originated, but the coffee ceremony is a strong cultural tradition throughout Ethiopia. Important events are opened with a coffee ceremony. As well, people traditionally gather together over coffee to just enjoy conversation on a regular basis. Cafes will have an ongoing ceremony where one can enjoy a small cup any time.
Required items for the ritual include a charcoal fire, popcorn, small cups on low serving table, sugar, mortar and pestle to pound the coffee, frankincense, clay coffee pot, boiling water, green coffee beans, water to wash the beans and a long handled pan to roast them…and if it is not done on the grass, then fresh cut grass is spread on the floor, possibly to show an appreciation of nature. A modern adaptation is a cloth with ribbon “grass” attached that looks a bit like a Hawaiian hula skirt and why not, after all, no culture is static!