Toilets in Greece often lack seats in public places due to a blend of cultural beliefs in higher hygiene by not sitting, easier cleaning for staff, cost savings, and maintenance concerns, plus some older plumbing systems can't handle toilet paper, leading to squat-style designs or just the bowl. While modern tourist spots have seats, you'll commonly find bowl-only toilets in older areas, requiring you to "hover" or use the ceramic rim directly, with paper usually going into a bin, not the toilet.
Greece's squat toilets are exactly as you imagine: a toilet without a toilet seat and bowl, and two panels to place your feet on either side of the hole.
Short answer: Many public toilets in Greece (and other parts of Southern and Eastern Europe) lack toilet seats mainly because of maintenance, hygiene perceptions, cost and vandalism concerns, and older plumbing/fixture traditions. Private homes usually have seats.
The problem is the rather narrow sewage pipes used in Greek buildings. They are not designed to take papers and especially other things like sanitary pads, so they easily clog. That's why it is common that people use the bins instead.
The ancient Greeks used Pessoi (pebbles) or Ostraca. Ostraca were broken pieces of ceremic pottery, smoothed down around the edges if you were lucky. They used the pieces to scrape and wipe as best they could. The process was so popular that it was immortalized on a 2,700-year-old drinking cup and in The Talmud.
Homosexual relationships the way we intend them today–between two free adults–were rarely allowed. Patriarchy was all the rage in the empire and Roman men, who were obsessed with their virility then as now, could have sex with other men only if they took the penetrative role.
Not all countries or cultures use toilet paper to wipe their bums. This can be because of cultures that have traditionally used alternatives to toilet paper and therefore never really used it or lack of access to toilet paper.
The toilet will clog. Greek sewage pipes are much narrower than US or British pipes, and therefore can't handle paper or any other items as it can easily clog them.
Impact on Sewage Systems
Regular toilet paper, non-toxic toilet paper, and flushable wipes can all contribute to these problems. Also, items that should never be flushed, like baby wipes, dental floss, sanitary napkins, and tampons, can worsen these issues, leading to clogged toilets and strained plumbing systems.
Where Can't You Flush Toilet Paper?
In many Amish homes, rags are a common toilet paper alternative. These rags are typically old clothes that have been worn out. After simple processing, they become practical cleaning tools.
Cultural Differences in Toilet Paper Usage
In Asia, bidets are a popular alternative to toilet paper. In the Middle East, water is used for personal hygiene after using the toilet. In Africa, the usage of toilet paper is not as common and many people resort to alternatives such as wiping with water or cloths.
In 1596, a flush toilet was invented and built for Britain's Queen Elizabeth I by her Godson, Sir John Harrington. It is said that she refused to use it because it was too noisy. The first patent for the flushing toilet was issued to Alexander Cummings in 1775.
Follow toilet etiquette
Don't freak out at the “please do not throw paper in the toilet” signs plastered over every bathroom in the city. It's a serious request. Athens is an ancient city, and the sewage system is pretty old, too.
Cardiovascular diseases and cancer were the leading causes of death in 2022 – especially ischaemic heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. Smoking rates remain high in Greece, despite a decline over the last two decades, with 25 % of adults smoking daily in 2019.
Yes, in many parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, squat toilets remain the norm. They are especially widespread in countries like India, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Vietnam, among others.
How many times should you wipe after pooping? Here's a guide… There's no hard and fast rule to how many times you should wipe, as every bowel movement is different. The best rule of thumb is to continue to use additional sheets of toilet paper until you feel clean.
These items should NEVER be flushed down the toilet:
Gut infections
Some parasitic infections affect how your gut works. The most common gut parasite in the United States is Giardia duodenalis. This can cause giardiasis, a disease that may lead to greasy, foul-smelling, bright yellow diarrhea.
Society and culture. The bidet is common in Catholic countries and required by law in some. It is also found in some traditionally Eastern Orthodox and Protestant countries such as Greece and Finland respectively, where bidet showers are common.
You can't flush toilet paper in Greece because the sewage pipes are much narrower than elsewhere in the world (2 inches in diameter vs. 4 inches in the U.S.!), and toilet paper can cause them to clog.
Experts believe that it's healthy to poop from three times each day up to three times each week. This is called the "three and three rule." If you poop less than three times per week, it could be a sign of constipation, and if you poop more than three times each day, you may have diarrhea.
"If (someone) has a bowel movement and it's so clean and well-formed that it doesn't leave any residue and just sinks, that is actually a very healthy bowel movement," says De Latour.
In parts of India and Arabia, people exclusively use their bare left hand for wiping. They consider it disgusting that other cultures use toilet paper, as it leaves behind an unpleasant residue.