Hookah smoking is a social phenomenon, and like any social event, there are rules of etiquette. These rules are unwritten, and are mostly unspoken; usually, they are learned by experience. But if youve never smoked a hookah before, its useful to know what you can expect.
Hookahs are smoked in groups. In fact, even a small hookah is usually too small for one person to smoke alone, and the larger hookahs, with fittings for several hoses, are actually designed to be used in groups.
Basic Hookah Etiquette
Because a hookah is considered a service device, its important to remember that the pipe stays on the ground. You should always lift the hose up to your mouth, and never bring it down to you. As an aside, if you smoke cigarettes, and you absolutely must have a cigarette break, do not! light your cigarette from the hookah coal, or use the hookah tray to tap your ashes. This is considered exceedingly rude. Its better to just step aside from the group and smoke your cigarette.
In the group, there is no set rule for who gets the next hit from the hookah. Smokers will usually just figure this out for themselves. Its polite to let the person who owns...