The Tais is a handwoven cloth that looks like a scarf that is traditional to Timor. Each region in Timor has its own traditional Tais design, but nowadays, you can find all kinds of designs used wherever you go.
Finally, in very formal or exciting welcome ceremonies, young unmarried Timorese (usually girls) will perform a dance called likurai. The dance was traditionally performed to welcome warriors home from battle but is now used mostly to welcome esteemed guests and is sometimes used as a courtship dance.
Properly welcoming guests is a way to maintain peace in East Timor. In the past, offending guests of another regional group could result in violence between them. Welcoming guests kept the peace and was also a way to establish alliances between groups.
These days, welcoming guests is part of the Timorese identity. In Timor Leste, friendliness is extremely common and it is expected that you always defer to others by greeting them, offering them your food and asking their permission to turn and walk away. A proper welcome is another expected way to show friendship to outsiders.
This tradition is connected to the environment because it uses things that are locally grown and produced like coffee, betel nuts and the materials to make Tais.
