Let's Party!

Weddings are a big deal in most cultures, but in Arab societies weddings are the biggest holidays. The wedding celebration starts the evening before the actual wedding at the home of the groom. A few days ago, I arrived at one of these parties at 7 pm after receiving an invitation from the uncle of the groom. One of the biggest differences between this celebration and parties in America is that the women party in one area and the men party in a separate area. So after arriving, the women in our group left the guys to their own devices and entered the women's tent. Over the next hour, many more women arrived and filled up the tent. Then the dance party really began. Men were not allowed in the tent, so several of the women removed their hijabs and let their hair down. Some girls had long, beautiful hair that hung down to their waist while others had beautiful hair that was about at their shoulders. One thing I learned about Arab dancing is that I'm just as bad at that, almost, as at “American” dancing. I think the Arab women rather enjoyed watching a few American girls try to fit in. It didn't work very well especially for the blonde ones... Eventually, the women and girls lost their reservations about us. The younger girls, around 14 years old, were especially interested in us and kept asking us questions about things from dancing to jewelry to college life to what we thought about Jordan. Some of the girls became like additional arms because they stayed right next to us. During the five hours following our arrival, the women's tent was a big dance party with some henna on the side and the men's area was one explosion after another. Fireworks galore were set off all through the evening. Handguns and shotguns carrying blanks were also shot off at random intervals. Bubbles, foam, and sparklers decorated the area and music pulsed through the air from every corner. Mansuf was the main course. One word: Delicious! The only problem with the food was that we didn't eat until 1 in the morning. We also ate it with our hands so it was a good thing that I had practiced once before so I didn't look like a total idiot... just half of an idiot. I love that Arabs make such a big deal about weddings. What a wonderful thing!
=)