Hospitality
Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes hospitality in the Encyclopédie as the virtue of a great soul that cares for the whole universe through the ties of humanity.
Foreign travelers and diplomats, and a number of renowned historians and anthropologists have, in particular, "solemnized, romanticized, and glorified" the hospitality of the northern Albanian highlanders.
[8] Some reasons that have been provided to explain the admiration of the Albanian hospitality by foreign visitors are: the rituals and forms in which it is expressed; its universal application with uncompromising protection of the guest, even in the case of blood feud (gjakmarrje) between the host and the guest; its central role as a moral principle in Albanian society and individual life, also regulated and sanctified in the Kanun as a basic societal institution; its exceptional altruistic appeal as well as application, conferred with the best available resources, regardless of the fact that the remote, harsh, and geographically inhospitable territory of the northern Albanian mountains is typically scarce in material resources.
[8] A reflection of the Albanian solemn adherence to their traditional customs of hospitality and besa is notably considered to be their treatment of Jews at the time of the Italian and German occupation during World War II.
[10] In Greek society, a person's ability to abide by the laws of hospitality determined nobility and social standing.
In India and Nepal, hospitality is based on the principle Atithi Devo Bhava, meaning "the guest is God".
[13] Abraham set the standard as providing three things: The initial letters of these Hebrew words spell Aishel (Genesis 21:33).
[17][18] Pope John Paul II wrote: "Welcoming our brothers and sisters with care and willingness must not be limited to extraordinary occasions but must become for all believers a habit of service in their daily lives.
This is the display of hospitality and profound respect to all visitors (regardless of race, religion, national affiliation, or economic status) without any hope of remuneration or favour.
[citation needed] Abu Aziz ibn Umair reported: "I was among the prisoners of war on the day of the battle of Badr.
After I accepted Islam, I was among the Ansar (Inhabitants of Madinah) and when the time of lunch or dinner arrived, I would feed dates to the prisoners for I had been fed bread due to the command of Muhammad.
A host who granted a person's request for refuge was expected not only to provide food and shelter for guests but also to make sure that they did not come to harm under their care.
Cultures and subcultures vary in the extent to which one is expected to show hospitality to strangers, as opposed to personal friends or members of one's ingroup.
Julia Kristeva alerts readers to the dangers of "perverse hospitality", takes advantage of the vulnerability of aliens to dispossess them.
[29] Hospitality reduces the tension in the process of host-guest encounters, producing a liminal zone that combines curiosity about others and fear of strangers.
Anthony Pagden describes how the concept of hospitality was historically manipulated to legitimate the conquest of the Americas by imposing the right of free transit, which was conducive to the formation of the modern nation state.
The trestle (also tressle, tressel and threstle ) in heraldry is also used to mean hospitality, as historically the trestle was a tripod used both as a stool and a table support at banquets. [ 3 ]
