A TikToker explains what Eritrea is like: "Can you imagine living in a country where ties are banned?"

Every country has its own customs and laws. However, what no one would have imagined is that, due to regulations, a nation would be stuck in the past. Eritrea isn't in 2025, but in 2018, and its laws are truly striking.

This is what Lia Lois explained in one of her most recent TikTok videos. "Can you imagine living in a country where ties, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's are banned?" the young woman asked. Because, although it may seem futuristic due to its modernist buildings, the truth is that its traditions are very different.

"Welcome to Eritrea ! One of the most secretive countries in the world ," he emphasized. He then provided a series of striking facts about the country. As he explained, the nation is currently in the year 2018, not because it has become stuck in time, but because it doesn't follow the Gregorian calendar, which is the standard one.

"It's still on the Ethiopian calendar, which has 13 months and is seven years behind ours," he noted. In fact, unlike other places, days begin at sunrise, 6 a.m., so the timetables are also different.

Continuing with the regulations, ties are not allowed because they are "a symbol of capitalism," and for this same reason, there are no franchises or unlimited internet access. Everything is highly controlled. There is only one television station, the local currency, the Nafca, cannot be exchanged outside the country, and military service is "mandatory and often indefinite."

"It's one of the countries with the greatest violations of human rights in the world," the young woman emphasized. Despite being a symbol of modernism and futurism with its buildings and its capital, Asmara, the truth is that there is little information about local life.

Beyond the issues of freedom, the way its inhabitants relate to each other is also very different. For example, when children call an adult, they have to clap. "So if someone claps for you, it's not because you're doing something really well, it's because they're getting your attention," he explained.

Likewise, the ways of showing affection are also very special. "If an Eritrean gives you food directly in your mouth, it's a symbol of affection and friendship," the young woman stated. "The Eritrean thing is a little crazy," she stated in the description of her video.

The post has already been viewed nearly 630,000 times and received all kinds of comments. "You'll see when they get to 2020 and find themselves with the pandemic," "it's a dictatorship," "it sounds like a prison," and "well, I'd go," were some of the most notable messages.