Hospitality is not only cordiality, but also a willingness to accept any guest with sincere joy. In addition, it is a gratuitous reception and refreshment for wanderers.
Meeting with guests
The guest was greeted with a bow to the ground. They tried to surround him with affection and care, treated him with honor and respect, treated him to the best that was in the house. A dressed-up hostess came out to the assembled guests, bowing from the waist. The guests also answered her with a bow to the ground and the rite of "kissing" began. The guests came up and kissed the hostess in turn. Then they bowed again and drank a glass of vodka. When the hostess went to a special women's table, this served as a signal to start and sit down at the tables. The ceremonial table always stood in the "red corner", near the stationary benches. It was more honorable than sitting on side benches, since it was believed that the guest was under the patronage of the saints.
Russian feast
Then the meal itself began. The beginning of the meal was marked by the fact that the owner of the house served each invited guest a piece of bread with salt. Since the salt was very expensive product at that time, it was used only for special occasions. Even at the royal court, salt shakers stood closer to the owner and important guests. Therefore, salt was one of the most important products. Another measure of hospitality was how strong the tea was brewed. Depending on the fortress, one could judge how the owners of the house treat the guest, how hospitable they are. Food serving traditions have changed a lot since that time.
To begin with, pies were served, then meat, poultry and fish dishes (this was called roast), and then at the end of dinner, soups (“ear”). After resting after the soups, they ate various sweet snacks for dessert. There were also drinking traditions in Rus'. The tradition of drinking alcoholic beverages has come to us since ancient times. In many homes today, it is believed that if you refuse food and drink, then this meant offending the guest. Also such a tradition has come down to us how to drink vodka not in small sips, but in one gulp. Another tradition of drinking was the obligatory intoxication of the guests. A non-drunk guest had to at least pretend to be one. Although it was not necessary to get drunk, but to keep up with the others. In addition, it was believed that if the host during the meal gives one of the guests a fur coat from his shoulder, then this was considered a sign of special respect and special affection. In addition, the host could treat them with food from a special oprichnina plate. She was specially placed next to him. By the way, the number of all kinds of dishes and treats on the royal and boyar tables sometimes reached a hundred, and sometimes up to five hundred.
Moreover, each dish was offered sweat separately, and the precious dishes of gold and silver were immediately held back by richly dressed servants. But the traditions of hospitality in Rus' were not only in rich houses, the peasants also knew how to receive guests. Representatives of the peasantry considered it obligatory to gather around the table on various occasions, be it christenings, name days, weddings, the birth of a child, meetings, seeing off, commemorations. When taverns appeared in Russia, the traditions of Russian hospitality migrated there as well. In taverns they tried to please the slightest whim of the guest. The guest was treated with dignity and respect. Be sure to meet with a bow and take care of him. Very often, the attendants knew not only the name of the guest, but also his tastes, whims and preferences.
Seeing off guests
The guest was seen off and wished him a good journey, while saying "good riddance". In addition, the custom was to pour on the staff and sit on the path. In those days, this meant that the owner of the house wished the guest that his road was as smooth as a tablecloth.
Russian hospitality famous all over the world, it is considered a manifestation of Russian broad soul. Russian hospitality does not happen in half, but only on a grand scale.
“The chronicles unanimously praise the general hospitality of the Slavs, rare in other lands and until now common in all Slavic lands ... Every traveler was, as it were, sacred to them: they met him with kindness, treated him with joy, saw him off with blessings ... "
…..N.M. Karamzin “On the history of the Russian State”
Guests on the doorstep. This event is always exciting. Since ancient times, it has been customary: a guest on the threshold - joy in the house. This was explained by the fact that the villages and estates were located far from each other and new person has always been a curiosity. First of all, he brought news from the world, and therefore aroused interest: where was he, dear man? What did you hear and see? What will you tell? What now, when oh how many of us live on 1 square kilometer? We began to visit each other less often, business, worries and something else interfere with us. But there is no equivalent human communication, a friendly smile, a joke - all the atmosphere that is created in the circle of friends, acquaintances and close people. What to share if everyone knows everything from the media and the Internet? Yes, and now it’s not really necessary to go on a visit - I called, talked and, okay ... it becomes sad from this. But hospitality is inherent in us genetically (it seems to us) and the guest is not driven away, but accepted. Only the quality of the reception today depends on the qualities of the guest, and this should not be so.
Whatever nation you take, whatever way you consider, hospitality was taken very seriously everywhere. An invited guest was an uninvited, but crossed the threshold of the house, and a tired wanderer, and a kind traveler. And let the sayings speak not well of uninvited guests, but a hospitable host always knows how to make every guest feel at home. To be known as a good host or hostess, it is not at all necessary to impress guests with expensive dishes, silverware and rich treats. It is important that guests, having come to you, felt good and saw that they were sincerely welcome.
Mature, developed forms of hospitality are focused on the unfamiliar or stranger; the simplest, often ordinary forms are intended for a well-known guest, such as a relative or neighbor. The peoples of the Russian North have well preserved the most simple shapes hospitality, while among the peoples of the Caucasus it has complex, ritualized rites. The forms of hospitality among the highlanders of the Balkan Peninsula are close to Caucasian ones. At Eastern Slavs- Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians - hospitality eventually lost common Slavic archaic features and acquired peculiar Christianized forms. Today, in the age of globalization of almost all processes, hospitality itself is becoming generalized, that is, the same rituals of receiving a guest are being formed. In principle, the hospitality and cordiality of our ancestors, no matter what nationality they were, was aimed at ensuring that the guest did not feel bad away from home. But then, many centuries ago, the approach of representatives different cultures and nationalities were different: from the calm reception of the guest and treating him with simple food (in those regions where people had no difficulties on the way to the owner’s house, and therefore guests or travelers were not a curiosity there), to wild joy and celebration in honor of guest (in areas where the path from one locality to another was full of uncertainty and difficulties, in such places travelers were extremely rare and the news that they brought was accepted with greater gratitude, no matter what shade they carried).
The ritual of hospitality, in essence, is a dialogue of two parties entering into communication - the host and the guest. Both of them are subject to a fairly strict etiquette "script" that binds, limits their actions and at the same time allows them to achieve specific goals: the host - to adequately receive the guest, thus earning the grace of God and the respect of people, the guest - to receive shelter, food and support. The owner not only takes care of the guest, but also the obligation to protect on an equal basis with members of his family. But it is important to be able to be not only a hospitable host, but also a grateful guest - to know the measure and time when you need to leave, not to abuse the hospitality of the hosts. You have to be such a guest that the host would be glad to see you many more times. Receiving a guest is always a big concern for the host, but good guest will make it so that it turns out to be pleasant household chores. Then good impressions will remain with both the guest and the host.
Along with other customs, each nation had rituals of hospitality inherent only to it, rules for receiving guests and visiting friends. The ceremony of hospitality is rooted in primitive society as a custom of providing shelter to those who have strayed from the tribe, in need of protection, lost, traveling. In those times when communication between the tribes was weak, each guest was a carrier of information and was received with respect. In the time of Homer in Greece, all aliens from other places were considered to be under the protection of Zeus. In some countries (Dagestan, North Caucasus, Syria, Arab countries etc.) hospitality was so holy that even if a blood enemy came to the house, the owner met him and escorted him according to all the canons of hospitality and at that time nothing threatened his life. Now we almost never perceive a guest as lost, in need of protection, traveling, but this should not change the attitude towards the person who came to you. But it may also happen that a person needs help and participation, then a hospitable and hospitable host takes on the duties of a defender, assistant, sometimes even a mentor or adviser on certain issues with which the guest came to him.
“Hospitality is cordiality in receiving and treating visitors (guests), gratuitous reception and refreshment of wanderers, or hospitality,” this is how V.I. Dal. To be hospitable means to be able to offer a warm welcome to visitors, to create a calm, favorable and friendly atmosphere for them. Hospitality is one of the fundamental concepts of human civilization.
So let's be hospitable hosts, grateful guests. Let's share the news, looking into each other's eyes, smile and see the smile of the host or guest, feel warmth and support loved one, coming to visit him or hosting him, just laugh and be sad next to him, briefly leaving all new and high tech because, I repeat, there is no equivalent to human communication, a friendly smile, a joke - all the atmosphere that is created in the circle of friends, acquaintances and close people.
There are houses that you go to visit with pleasure. There is a relaxed atmosphere, hospitable hosts, some kind of bright and kind aura. And even if there is empty tea on the table (that is, without cakes, sweets and sandwiches), an easy conversation or, on the contrary, an interesting and exciting discussion about the fate of the world will not let you pay attention to this. And there are houses where the table is bursting with food and the cleanliness is perfect, but the hostess is not smiling, fussy, constantly pulls the children, growls at her husband and looks at her watch all the time ...
How to pass for a hospitable hostess? How do you make people want to visit your home?
1. Realize or decide for yourself whether you like guests. Honestly admit to yourself whether you like it when there are a lot of people in the house, noise, laughter, conversations, disputes, etc. Are you ready to spend the evening after work not with your family, doing embroidery, but to be the Hostess, receiving guests, setting the table, having conversations, and then, of course, putting things in order? Now we are not talking about birthdays or holidays, but about gatherings in the kitchen, maybe on a working day. If all of the above causes you delight, interest, and you are already thinking about how to cook this, great! You don't need the following advice. But if you draw a picture of a ruined family evening in your head with horror, then just warn your friends and relatives that you can visit you only by warning you in advance. No need to be shy, this is your home, your family and you decide whether you want to receive guests or not. Persistently and kindly repeat that you are only "on call" to visit. Good friends and friends will definitely understand you and will not be offended! It is much better to honestly tell people that you cannot accept them now than to look at your watch with a bored look.
2. Cleanliness is the key to ... success! I am sure that you will go to a house where it is neat, clean and comfortable with more pleasure than to one where you need to look for a place to sit, raking cans, plastic bottles and dirty things. I always say that perfect cleanliness does not equal comfort! So do general cleaning before each arrival of guests is not worth it. Just learn to keep order. A clean sink, toilet, clean towels in the bathroom are some of the important components of home order. One Flyslet participant wrote that the main advantage of the Flylady system is that she is no longer afraid of the arrival of unexpected guests. But the truth is, if you constantly work in zones, extinguish Hotspots, get rid of trash, etc., no guests will take you by surprise!
3. The hostess is the face of the house! How many times have the world been told... throw away old bathrobes with holes and stretched shapeless sweaters! home clothes should be one in which you can receive guests without hesitation. Any woman feels more confident when she looks good.
4. The rich, the happy! The expression is wonderful, but when the hostess begins to tell the guests that she has nothing to put on the table, and the repair has not yet been completed, therefore it is dirty everywhere, and there is no money to buy a new oilcloth on the table ... I think everyone has at least once encountered a similar technique. I don't want to go to this house again. Therefore, even if you are not at all ready to receive guests, your smile, participation, pleasant conversation can outshine a poor table!
5. Cookies for guests. We have a beautiful one on the top shelf in the kitchen. can with cookies. And this is called "cookies for guests" and it is strictly forbidden to touch it. If at home on Sunday evening there was no sweet at all, the husband with eyes like a cat from Shrek asks me for permission to take a couple of "guest" cookies for tea and swears to buy a new one on Monday. Good hostess always has a box of chocolates or cookies at home. They do not take up much space, but they help out a lot when "the doorbell suddenly rang." If you are running a cookbook, make a special section with quick and easy recipes. For example, I always have several packs of puff pastry in the freezer. It takes 15 minutes to make puffs with jam or just with sugar.
6. “The most important thing is the weather in the house…” Even if you are beautifully dressed, perfectly set the table, your tablecloths are starched, and the sink is shiny, but you decide to take care of the upbringing of children or a showdown with your husband in front of the guests, all this will not save you! There is nothing worse than watching the quarrel of the owners of the house, you want to fall through the ground and certainly not go to visit them anymore. Let domestic troubles not become public. Believe me, no one cares!
Being a hospitable hostess is easy! Be sincere to yourself and your guests!
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The chronicles equally unanimously praise the general hospitality of the Slavs, rare in other lands and until now common in all Slavic lands ... Every traveler was, as it were, sacred to them: they met him with kindness, treated him with joy, saw him off with reverence ...
N.M. Karamzin
Hospitality has always been feature Russian person. It was evaluated, first of all, by hospitality. The guest in the old days was supposed to drink and feed to satiety.
The custom dictated, almost by force, to feed and water the guest. The hosts knelt down and tearfully begged to eat and drink "just a little more." This was explained by the fact that the villages and estates were located far from each other, and a rare guest who crossed the threshold of the house was always a joy. Since then, hospitality in Russia has always been in the first place, and the memory of glorious folk feasts, royal, noble and merchant gastronomic feasts is still alive.
What is the concept of hospitality?
To provide hospitality means to be responsible for the well-being of a guest during the entire time that he is under your roof.
A. Brillat-Savarin
In my opinion, the most detailed definition of "hospitality" is given in the biblical dictionary. According to him,
Hospitality is the readiness to receive guests with sincere joy, no matter who they are and no matter what time they come.
This is the generosity of the human soul.
This is a combination of nobility, generosity and respect for people.
A hospitable house is never empty, and its owner is lonely.
In other dictionaries, less detailed, but similar in meaning, definitions are given. For example, in the dictionary V.I. Dahl gives the following interpretation:
Hospitality- this is cordiality in receiving and treating visitors; gratuitous reception and refreshment of wanderers.
Study of the hospitality traditions of the Russian people.
Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, in his famous Teachings, said that Russians always treat a foreigner with respect, since he traveled a lot and saw a lot. And if he is well received at a party, then good reputation about the owner of the house, and through him the whole country, will spread far beyond its borders.
And indeed, the guest was greeted with a bow to the ground, they tried to surround him with kindness and care, treated him with special honor and respect, treated him to the best that was in the house. When the guest was seen off, they wished him a good journey, while saying "good riddance". In those days, these words meant that the owner of the house wishes the guest that his road was as smooth as a tablecloth.
Russian meal. Peasants at the table. 19th century
In the old days, the meal began with the fact that the owner of the house cut off and served each invited guest a slice of bread with salt, which symbolized the hospitality and hospitality of this house. Since salt was then a rather expensive product, it was used only on special occasions. Even at the royal court, salt shakers on the table were closer to the king and important guests. Therefore, salt has become one of the measures of hospitality. Another measure of hospitality was how strong the tea was brewed. Depending on its strength, one could judge how the owners of the house treat the guest, how hospitable they are.
Traditional Russian tea party. 19th century B. Kustodiev - Moscow tavern, 1916
So, in the XVII century. the meeting of the guests and the meal itself were a whole ceremony:
The hostess in festive attire came out to the assembled guests and greeted them, bowing from the waist. The guests answered her with a bow to the ground. This was followed by a kissing ceremony: the owner of the house invited the guests to honor the hostess with a kiss.
The guests took turns approaching the hostess and kissing her. Then they bowed to her again, taking a glass of vodka from her hands. When the hostess went to a special women's table, this served as a signal to sit down and start eating. The ceremonial table stood in the "red corner", near the benches fixed to the wall, sitting on which was then considered more honorable than on the side ones, because. it was believed that the guest is under the patronage of the saints.
In addition to offering bread and salt to the guests during the meal, the host of the ceremony, as a sign of special respect or affection for one of his guests, could himself put some food from the oprichnina plate. She was specially placed next to him. With the help of his servant, the host sent a special dish to the guest of honor. Conveying this peculiar message, the servant, as a rule, said: “May you, gracious sovereign, eat to your health.”
It was not only a special dish or a place occupied at the table that could show the significance of the guest for the owner of the house. For example, it was considered a great honor if, during a feast, the tsar took off his fur coat from his shoulder and gave it to someone present.
Royal feast. 16th century
With the appearance in the XVII century. taverns, and later restaurants, the traditions of hospitality migrated to them. According to Volkova V.I., the guest was treated with respect and reverence. Were greeted with respect. They took care of him. They tried to please the slightest whim of the guest. Service staff knew not only the name of the guest, but also his tastes and preferences. Throughout the stay in the restaurant, the guest felt necessary, important.
How the guest was met, served and parted with him, I will show on the example of an excerpt from the book of Ivanov E.P. "Village fairs, bazaars and taverns":
Here the porter opened the heavy oak door and bowed respectfully. It was written on his face that it was you he expected to see. He handed you over to other attendants who led you to the cloakroom. There they were engaged in your exposure so deftly and carefully that you did not notice how you ended up without a coat - one person accepted it, without a hat - another took it, a third took up a cane and galoshes (if it was autumn time). Then you were met on the threshold of the hall by the majestic head waiter. With a most serious air, he accompanied you around the hall.
Where will you be comfortable? Closer to the stage, or will the noise disturb you? Finally a place was chosen. Sat down.
As if two waiters rose from the ground. They do not dare to enter into conversations, but only await the orders of the head waiter, who in a cooing voice, using French names wines and snacks, figure out what you will eat or drink. Finally, inaudibly to you, he gives orders to the waiters, who instantly reappear with additional serving and appetizers. The head waiter leaves you to come back in a minute to check if everything is in order. Two waiters stand at a distance, relentlessly watching your every move. You reached for salt, the waiter is already there with a salt shaker. You took out a cigarette case, it is near with a lit match. At the sign of the head waiter, one dish is replaced by another. We were always amazed by the dexterity of the waiters and the memory of the head waiter, who did not dare to forget or mix up what you ordered. When you left, everyone respectfully bowed to you, dressed you just as carefully, and escorted you to the door.
Reflection of the traditions of hospitality of the Russian people in modern activities hospitality industry enterprises.
Time passed. Hotels and restaurants have developed, and hospitality traditions have become an integral part of their activities. Service standards have incorporated various features of these traditions.
Today, we can everywhere meet the reflection of certain traditions in the reception of guests. For example:
Meeting guests on the threshold of the house can be compared with the meeting of important guests in restaurants or hotels, when the director of the institution himself welcomes the arrivals.
Meeting guests: Palace Hotel Seliger.
But in pure form the tradition of serving bread and salt and a glass of vodka to the guest in modern conditions can only be observed during cultural festivals and stylized elements of official events, when meeting foreign delegations at the airport, the custom of respectful attitude towards the guest in the house was preserved by the Russians literally at the level of historical memory.
Treating guests with a glass of vodka or a special oprichny dish can be compared to a “compliment” in a restaurant, i.e. free drink or a dish at the expense of the establishment, which is offered to all guests.
As mentioned above, it was considered a great honor if, during the feast, the king took off his fur coat from his shoulder and presented it to one of those present. So, today, if a guest arrives at a hotel on his birthday, or the newlyweds settle in a hotel, then a bottle of champagne will be waiting for them in the room. Or in a restaurant they can give a bottle of expensive collection wine.
It used to be considered honorable to sit on side benches, or closer to the owner and mistress of the house. Today, guests of honor at restaurants or clubs can sit in private booths.
Anticipating a guest's wishes, like the example of salt and matches mentioned above, is today considered first-class service that can be seen in first-class restaurants. And in hotels, this is expressed by the fact that the hotel staff try to please the slightest whim of the guest, and during his next visit, all wishes will be taken into account.
There are many hospitality traditions in Russia. Some traditions are successfully used today in the hospitality industry, while others, like the custom of the inhabitants of Chukotka to give their wife to a guest for the night, have been preserved only in chronicles and folk art.
Thus, the application folk traditions hospitality is very important for the successful development of the restaurant and hotel business, not only in our country, but also in any other country. By taking care of the guest and creating the right atmosphere around him, you can motivate the visitor to leave the restaurant (hotel) at good mood and return to it again and again.
See hospitality Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011. hospitality n., number of synonyms: 5 ... Synonym dictionary
J. distraction. noun according to adj. hospitable Dictionary Efremova. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova
Hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, hospitality (Source: “Full accentuated ... ... Forms of words
hospitality- Syn: see hospitality... Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary
hospitality- see hospitable; And; and … Dictionary of many expressions
Hospitality, cordiality, hospitality; warm welcome, bread salt Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hospitality hospitality, hospitality, cordial welcome, hospitality Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E... Synonym dictionary
Friendliness, hospitality, hospitality, cordiality, cordial welcome, hospitality, affection Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hospitality see hospitality Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: R ... Synonym dictionary
Hospitability, cordiality, cordial welcome, hospitality Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hospitality see hospitality Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language ... Synonym dictionary
HOSPITAL, oh, oh; me, me. Welcome to guests. Hospitable people. Hospitably (adv.) meet. | noun hospitality, and and hospitality, a, cf. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
- (from lat. moralitas, moralis, mores tradition, folk custom, later temper, character, morals) a concept through which in the mental and practical experience people are singled out customs, laws, actions, characters, expressing highest values And… … Philosophical Encyclopedia
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