How Do You Know Someone is Eritrean Without Them Saying It?

They don’t have to tell you verbally or say it directly… you just know it the moment you saw them! This is from the way they dance, sing, talk to they way they have their coffee ceremony, Eritreans have their own unique way of doing it. If you want to figure out how to know if someone is Eritrean without him/her telling you he/she is Eritrean, this your ultimate guide.

• Their unique way of Greeting You!

Now, let’s dive deeper into this. Most Eritreans greet different way. Of course there are the most commonly used greetings like “kemey hadirka” to say good morning, “Dehan do wuelka” Good afternoon, “kemey amshika”for good evening, But there are also greetings locally found in Eritrea.

For example, a cool dude might come to you and say “kef!”, a Tigrigna slang in Eritrea meaning Hi! in English. “kemey ke!” is also one of the unique way of greeting which has similar meaning to “what’s up!”. You can spot young Eritreans with their unique way of Signature Hug – Three quick side hugs.

• Their Love for Traditionally made Foods

Just like Ethiopians, Eritreans traditional foods mainly consist ‘Shiro’ and ‘Injera’. No matter where they are in the world, they’ll find every single way to include injera un their everyday meal. This might sound weird for non-habesha people, but trust me ‘Injera’ is one of the most addictive foods for habeshas.

• The ‘Buna. or coffee Ceremony
• Eritreans take the coffee ceremony seriously. I am talking about the ceremony. Before the coffee ceremony begins Eritrean mothers give their children a strict warning that they are about to drink coffee and the children shouldn’t disturb during that time; if you refused to follow the instruction, you will receive a serious punishment 😊. The coffee ceremony comes with three rounds: ‘Awel’, ‘Kale’I’, & ‘Bereka’.

• You Spot Eritreans’ Wedding Instantly

Eritrean wedding ceremony is hot filled with continuous dance sessions with full band music. The wedding ceremonies are held under a tent locally called ‘das’ served with locally made drink ‘swa’ and buffet of foods. Stay with me, because this gets even better, the ceremony lasts till the third day called ‘salsti’. If you see people dancing till sweats comes off their body; you are at an Eritrean wedding.

• Eritrean Parents Be Like…

Most Eritrean parents have almost the same behavior and way of raising their children. Every parent wants their children to be either a doctor, pilot or an engineer; Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. But wait, there’s more; going to school is not an option but a huge duty for every single Eritrean child. If you refuse to go to school, you are about to start a big civil war with you parents; this results on kicking you out from the house and you might end up on the streets.

• Eritreans have national pride

Eritreans national pride is beyond imagination. it’s in their coffee, music, cycling skills. You’ll never meet an Eritrean who doesn’t proudly mention their history, independence, and resilience within five minutes of conversation. Their love for their country will leave you speechless. Whether they’re dancing to Tigrigna beats in the streets or waving their flag at international marathons, Eritreans carry their homeland in their hearts (and probably on a T-shirt). It’s loud, it’s passionate, and it’s absolutely wonderful. “Awet N’hafash!” (Victory to the Masses!) is a phrase you’ll hear often if you are around Eritreans.

• Eritrean Cyclists: Born to Ride!

Now, let’s discuss Eritrean cyclists. These guys own the road—they’re not just bikers! Their legs seem to be equipped with turbo engines. Hills? They have them for lunch. Prolonged races? Another laid-back Sunday excursion. To be honest, I believe they were born on bicycles.Just know that someone is going to be left behind whenever you see an Eritrean cyclist competing. What’s the most absurd aspect? They make it appear as though they’re simply cruising to get some “himbasha.” For Eritreans, cycling is more than just a sport—it’s a kind of superpower.

• Physical appearance

Eritreans have a variety of looks. Of course, there are many different ethnic groups in Eritrea. some have dark brown skin color just like Ethiopians, others have golden color that might be from the Arabic fusion. They have curly hair which is often said to be young Eritrean hair fashion. Eritreans often wear a tight skinny jean and a tight t-shirt with relatively bigger shoes- often a ‘kongo’ shoes made of plastic fabric and sometimes they wear necklace as a jewelry. These make Eritreans easily identifiable. If you think these lists are correct, please let us know in the comment section.

Did we miss anything? What’s the first thing you will notice if see an Eritrean? Let us know in the comments and tag your Eritrean friends!”

#EritreanCulture #HabeshaLife #EritreanPride #TigrignaVibes #EritreanTraditions #HabeshaFood #EritreanCyclists #EritreanWeddings