ZIAD IN GAZA

 

 

3pm The grandmother pays us a visit in the room. It is weird how in these situations, where death is behind every door, people are so traumatised that they speak of sad and happy events at the same time. She started by telling us about a woman she knows who has four sons, they all travelled outside to work and send her money so she could build the family dream building for them to come back and settle down.

“The whole building is gone. All their hard work for years was gone, just like this. The mother was devastated.”

After that story, she shared some of the wedding traditions of the family. Groom’s mother nights are celebration nights, could reach up to seven. Every day the women wear something different. Every day there will be a certain type of food: pastries, chicken dishes, western cuisine etc. During all these celebrations the women would sing and dance till late in the night.

The guys also have festive times. One activity is called the Arghul event. The Arghul is a flute. The Arghul player would come and start singing and the guys will be dancing and creating the rhythm for him. This could take hours. Also, they have the Dehia dance, the guys stand in two opposite lines and dance using the same rhythm while clapping their hands. After the guys’ party, they eat a traditional dish called Sumaqia.

5pm A new day is about to pass, hopefully it will. I wonder, while sitting with the guys playing cards, if one day I go to the streets and instead of seeing evacuated people, wearing torn clothes and looking for food and medicine, I will attend a wedding and see men dancing to the songs of the arghul and dehia, while women are in their own party, wearing embroidered dresses, singing and dancing.