I thought that this would be a good topic as a first personal post, as it fits my background and (daily) practices.
I come from Palestine, from the town of Tulkarm to be exact. My mother hails from Tiberias, formerly Tabariyyeh. Her parents were expelled from the 1948 Diaspora, and my grandfather died without seeing his native land ever since that fateful day he and my grandmother were given the boot.
However, the Palestinians who were expelled have taken their namesake with them, along with the rich and diverse culture of the Palestinian people. The culture of the Palestinians is far from lacking as many pro-Israeli racists like to claim. The Palestinians have more than their fair share of folklore, dance, music, embroidery and other forms of art.
Let's first start with some quality artwork.
This is a view from a street in Ramallah, Palestine.
What makes Palestinian art unique, in my opinion, is the colors and shades that it comes in, and the apparent sadness that it portrays in pictures like this one. Much Palestinian artwork also comes in other forms, like sculpture and embroidery, or tatriz. This form of embroidery is unique to Palestinian culture. I have several pieces of Palestinian embroidery at my home, and to be honest, they are quite fantastic. Here is a special piece of embroidery:
Palestinian embroidery comes in many different forms. For example, in my home, I have several shields of embroidery that look like the one above. You can also find framed work of embroidery, which often depict images of men and women at work, often in the farms and fields. They can also be used in writing out verses from the Quran in sometimes magnificent patterns that even calligraphy can't match. Palestinian embroidery can also be placed on women's dresses, and they look quite beautiful in my opinion. I have a wristband with tatriz all over it, but I use it as a bookmark (I'm a male, in case you didn't know).
You can check out tatriz and other forms of Palestinian artwork here. You will also notice, on the same page, sculptures made of wood (mainly from olive - yummy - trees) and other materials like mother-of-pearl. Many life-sized sculptures have been made almost entirely of wood. While they may not appeal to the artist as much as a stone sculpture wood, they nevertheless bewilder conoisseurs with their almost natural appearance and the curves and shapes that many of these sculptures come in.
There is also Palestinian Music, and though I'm not a big fan, I'll share some information regarding it. Palestinian music comes with certain instruments, such as the rabaab and the dirbakkeh, and while they are not entirely unique to the Palestinians as Arabs, the style of music itself is. At one time, especially prior to the tensions between the Zionists and the Palestinians, music was almost everywhere: you would see farmers, shepherds and other workers singing and humming tunes, as per Wikipedia:
What is more fun than Palestinian music is Palestinian folk dance, or dabke. Like dalauna, dabke has a big following outside Palestine, and many different versions have come out. It's well-known for its fast steps, rhythm and, best of all, group participation. The dance itself is easy to learn if you're good with your feet, or even bad with it. I danced myself as part of a troupe at my university, and i must say that it was quite amazing.
No, that's not me on the right, but if you notice the background, you will see a group of performers performing the dance. The two at the front are just split off from the rest as they are doing a duet/duo. Dabke is not a uniform dance in the sense that it always involves the same steps all over again, pretty much like other folk dances. The pace changes with the music, and the steps can get thundrous at times. You can find out more about dabke here.
There's also Palestinian Food. Palestinian cuisine is diverse, but I tend to stick to a few foods myself. For example, there is the fattoush, one of my favorite salads, served with tomatoes, pomegranate nectar (dips ir rumman to all you Arab readers), and other vegetables like lettuce. I'm also a fan of musakhan, a dish of chicken served with sumac spice and onions (yummy). To talk about Arabic food in general would take a long time, but I'm sticking to the Palestinian side now. Let's see... what else is there? Oh, yeah, who could ever forget maqluba, an upside-down dish of spiced rice served with tomatoes, onions, chicken and cauliflower? (I don't like it with eggplants). Other favorites of mine include suniyyet bitenjan (a casserole-like dish of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, ground meat and eggplants served in tomato sauce, and best served on rice), moulokhia (molokhia vegetable heated to a soup-like mix, with garlic, and served with chicken on white rice), rice and peas, rice and green beans, and other dishes. When it comes to dessert, I usually bite on a ghraybeh, a piece of harisseh, and, my favorite, knafeh (the Nablus variety, knafeh nabulsiyyeh, is the best I've ever tasted).
What is a culture without its people, and the way they dress? Well, Palestinian dress is one of the most unique in its kind, and Palestinian dress on women is usually embroidered. The pattern of embroidery also differs between the regions in Palestine. The thawb, or dress, worn by women is flowing and covers most of the body, save for the neck, the face and the hands. Other than that, when you take a look at some of them, you'd just be stunned at how pretty they are at times.
Now on to the men. Men wear a thawb, but this is not the same one as worn by women, of course. However, it does cover most of the body. Men also wear special headgear, called a ghutrah, which covers the scalp and extends to the back (my grandfather likes to extend it over his shoulder). This ghutrah is secured by a ring known as a 'igaal. It pretty much looks like this:
In case you were wondering, I don't wear traditional dress, but when it comes to folk dancing in celebrations, I usually place it over my shoulders, not my head.
Well, there's more to it, but I suggest that you explore the rest. I leave you with the title link, and tons to explore. Now, I'm not suggesting that Palestinian culture is the best there is and that it is superior to others; on the other hand, I am in a sense a cultural connoissseur, and tend to experience other cultures and appreciate them for being not only different, but also rich and diverse in their own special ways.
Salaam, from
Saracen
I come from Palestine, from the town of Tulkarm to be exact. My mother hails from Tiberias, formerly Tabariyyeh. Her parents were expelled from the 1948 Diaspora, and my grandfather died without seeing his native land ever since that fateful day he and my grandmother were given the boot.
However, the Palestinians who were expelled have taken their namesake with them, along with the rich and diverse culture of the Palestinian people. The culture of the Palestinians is far from lacking as many pro-Israeli racists like to claim. The Palestinians have more than their fair share of folklore, dance, music, embroidery and other forms of art.
Let's first start with some quality artwork.
This is a view from a street in Ramallah, Palestine.
What makes Palestinian art unique, in my opinion, is the colors and shades that it comes in, and the apparent sadness that it portrays in pictures like this one. Much Palestinian artwork also comes in other forms, like sculpture and embroidery, or tatriz. This form of embroidery is unique to Palestinian culture. I have several pieces of Palestinian embroidery at my home, and to be honest, they are quite fantastic. Here is a special piece of embroidery:
Palestinian embroidery comes in many different forms. For example, in my home, I have several shields of embroidery that look like the one above. You can also find framed work of embroidery, which often depict images of men and women at work, often in the farms and fields. They can also be used in writing out verses from the Quran in sometimes magnificent patterns that even calligraphy can't match. Palestinian embroidery can also be placed on women's dresses, and they look quite beautiful in my opinion. I have a wristband with tatriz all over it, but I use it as a bookmark (I'm a male, in case you didn't know).
You can check out tatriz and other forms of Palestinian artwork here. You will also notice, on the same page, sculptures made of wood (mainly from olive - yummy - trees) and other materials like mother-of-pearl. Many life-sized sculptures have been made almost entirely of wood. While they may not appeal to the artist as much as a stone sculpture wood, they nevertheless bewilder conoisseurs with their almost natural appearance and the curves and shapes that many of these sculptures come in.
There is also Palestinian Music, and though I'm not a big fan, I'll share some information regarding it. Palestinian music comes with certain instruments, such as the rabaab and the dirbakkeh, and while they are not entirely unique to the Palestinians as Arabs, the style of music itself is. At one time, especially prior to the tensions between the Zionists and the Palestinians, music was almost everywhere: you would see farmers, shepherds and other workers singing and humming tunes, as per Wikipedia:
Early in the 20th century, most Palestinians lived in rural areas, either as farmers or as nomads. The farmers (fellahin) sang a variety of work songs, used for tasks like fishing, shepherding, harvesting and making olive oil. Travelling storytellers and musicians called zajaleen were also common, known for their epic tales. Weddings were also home to distinctive music, especially the dabke, a complex dance performed by linked groups of dancers. Popular songs were in widely-varying forms, especially meyjana and dalauna.While both "Meyjana" and "Dalauna" are unique, the latter sprung out similar versions of the song in countries around the Arab world, most notably Lebanon. There's also the zajaleen as mentioned above, who would compose what you would call a mawal, a song that lines out a tale or a love story.
What is more fun than Palestinian music is Palestinian folk dance, or dabke. Like dalauna, dabke has a big following outside Palestine, and many different versions have come out. It's well-known for its fast steps, rhythm and, best of all, group participation. The dance itself is easy to learn if you're good with your feet, or even bad with it. I danced myself as part of a troupe at my university, and i must say that it was quite amazing.
No, that's not me on the right, but if you notice the background, you will see a group of performers performing the dance. The two at the front are just split off from the rest as they are doing a duet/duo. Dabke is not a uniform dance in the sense that it always involves the same steps all over again, pretty much like other folk dances. The pace changes with the music, and the steps can get thundrous at times. You can find out more about dabke here.
There's also Palestinian Food. Palestinian cuisine is diverse, but I tend to stick to a few foods myself. For example, there is the fattoush, one of my favorite salads, served with tomatoes, pomegranate nectar (dips ir rumman to all you Arab readers), and other vegetables like lettuce. I'm also a fan of musakhan, a dish of chicken served with sumac spice and onions (yummy). To talk about Arabic food in general would take a long time, but I'm sticking to the Palestinian side now. Let's see... what else is there? Oh, yeah, who could ever forget maqluba, an upside-down dish of spiced rice served with tomatoes, onions, chicken and cauliflower? (I don't like it with eggplants). Other favorites of mine include suniyyet bitenjan (a casserole-like dish of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, ground meat and eggplants served in tomato sauce, and best served on rice), moulokhia (molokhia vegetable heated to a soup-like mix, with garlic, and served with chicken on white rice), rice and peas, rice and green beans, and other dishes. When it comes to dessert, I usually bite on a ghraybeh, a piece of harisseh, and, my favorite, knafeh (the Nablus variety, knafeh nabulsiyyeh, is the best I've ever tasted).
What is a culture without its people, and the way they dress? Well, Palestinian dress is one of the most unique in its kind, and Palestinian dress on women is usually embroidered. The pattern of embroidery also differs between the regions in Palestine. The thawb, or dress, worn by women is flowing and covers most of the body, save for the neck, the face and the hands. Other than that, when you take a look at some of them, you'd just be stunned at how pretty they are at times.
Now on to the men. Men wear a thawb, but this is not the same one as worn by women, of course. However, it does cover most of the body. Men also wear special headgear, called a ghutrah, which covers the scalp and extends to the back (my grandfather likes to extend it over his shoulder). This ghutrah is secured by a ring known as a 'igaal. It pretty much looks like this:
In case you were wondering, I don't wear traditional dress, but when it comes to folk dancing in celebrations, I usually place it over my shoulders, not my head.
Well, there's more to it, but I suggest that you explore the rest. I leave you with the title link, and tons to explore. Now, I'm not suggesting that Palestinian culture is the best there is and that it is superior to others; on the other hand, I am in a sense a cultural connoissseur, and tend to experience other cultures and appreciate them for being not only different, but also rich and diverse in their own special ways.
Salaam, from
Saracen
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