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Cultural Etiquette
Cultural Dos and Taboos
1. Shaking hands is the acceptable form of greeting. Always shake everyone's hand, starting with the person to your right, moving around the room from the right to the left. Women may choose not to shake hands with men. Workers often greet their coworkers in this manner on a daily basis.
2. The left hand rules apply here. Do not take or give anything with the left hand. Do not eat with the left hand.
3. Remove your shoes before entering a home or a mosque.
4. Never present a Muslim with a gift of alcohol or pork products.
5. Women and men should dress modestly. Men should always keep their chests covered and refrain from wearing shorts. Women should keep the upper part of the arms to the knees covered.
6. Haggling is acceptable in the market place.
7. Among Moroccans, it is impolite to simply say hello and move on. Stopping to shake hands and ask "Ça va ?" (how are you in French) is considered mandatory protocol. Asking about the other person's family, children, and health is also good practice.
8. Bisous à la française (a kiss on each cheek) or hugs are customary among same-sex friends. Same-sex friends usually walk around holding hands, and should not be misconstrued. Ironically, romantically-linked couples, even married couples, rarely touch in public. Indeed, inter-gender relations is strictly limited to hand-shaking in public.
9. If one is invited to dinner at a home, expect the seating to be quite awkward. Rather than sitting at the dining room table, expect to sit on couches and chairs at a knee-high round coffee table.
10. The Moroccan people are legendary for their generosity and friendliness; visitors should expect wonderful interchanges with locals in Morocco, and remember that if one is invited to a home or to dinner, some sort of gift to the host is suggested, since this is a culture famed for its generosity of spirit.
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