The Meaning of “Xenia”
According to the ancient Greek belief, ‘Xenia’ means hospitality, a concept of guest-friendship. Historically, it was understood as a moral obligation of hospitality towards foreigners and guests. The word is derived from ‘xenos‘ meaning ‘stranger‘. The Greek god Zeus is sometimes called ‘Zeus Xenios’, a protector of strangers and he personified the moral obligation to be hospitable to foreigners and guests.
Xenia encompasses two basic concepts:
- Respect from host to guest – the host must be hospitable to the guest
- Respect from guest to host – the guest must be courteous to the host and not be a burden
