Northern Somalis have welcomed guests by waving green branches for two thousand years

Evidence

This is your custom of waving green branches in welcome of your guest. It was an impressive sight to see thousands of people standing along the route waving these branches. I don’t know if you all realize the significance of this custom, but it is rooted in ancient custom going as far back as 2000 years. The waving of green branches denoted then, as it does now, that there is peace and plenty. I pray to the almighty that He will bless us with more rain and an abundance of food and goodwill. This fine custom, I may add, is peculiar only to this region and is not known in other parts of the Republic. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 523

Categorization

• CANDY: A pleasing, self-contained cultural detail about Northern Somali greeting customs.