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| Ahmad & Khitam dancing later at the party |
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| Ahmad & Khitam entering the party |
The party started with all of us going to a nice restaurant on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where Khitam and Ahmad and Khitam's family had arranged to have the party. We all got there around 7:30, when we thought they would arrive, but they didn't arrive until 8:00, when everyone was there. I think they planned it that way!
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| Half of the musical combo |
When they came in, the musical combo played some Arab boogie music and everyone clapped while they walked between us into the restaurant.
The leader of the combo played the oud, an old instrument like a lute or a guitar that is traditionally strummed with an eagle's feather. There were six in the group and they placed wonderful Arab music that kept everyone dancing for hours! Arab dancing is fun but it looks easier than it is. While shaking your hips, you also use your hands almost to paint pictures in the air while your feet do a sometimes complicated step.
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| Umar. #4 of Khitam's brothers |
Khitam, my friend who married Ahmad, has a very large family and she is the youngest at 48 years old. She has five brothers: Muhammed, Khalid, Yousef, Umar and Wahib. She has six sisters: Sa'ira, Moheba, Naseba, Amira, Subhiya and Zada. Before the party, I had met all of the brothers except Umar; I had met two of the sisters: Naseba and Zada. All of the brothers came to the party and three of the sisters came, so I got to meet Umar, the only brother I hadn't met, and Moheba and Amira, two of the sisters I hadn't met.
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| Zada, #6 sister |
Zada is really the strongest of the six sisters, although she is next to the youngest; Khitam is the youngest. Four of the sisters are widows; they have lost their husbands. Some didn't come to the party because of sickness or other problems. It was fun to meet the ones I didn't already know.
The first one I met was Zada, who made delicious meals for us the first two nights we were in Acre. She is the youngest, except for Khitam; the six sisters were born before any brothers, and then after the five brothers, came Khitam. So, here they are.
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| Amira, sister # 4 |
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| Wahib, brother #5 |
I'll put up photos of some of them and then a family photo that includes the people who were there when I took the picture. Some had already left the party.
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| Yousef, #3 brother |
My favorite dance of the party, and the dancing went on and on and on, was the dance when the five brothers made a circle around Khitam and then the rest of the people made a circle around the brothers and each brother had a turn dancing with Khitam. Everyone else clapped in rhythm to the music as Khitam danced with each brother. The brothers, no matter how old or how they were feeling, had a great time dancing with Khitam, who is a very good dancer, and she and they loved it. So did the rest of us as we clapped and clapped and watched the brothers and their youngest sister celebrate her marriage with this happy dance.
There were 140 people at the party and most of them were family! I asked one person I met: "Are a lot of these people part of the family?" She said most of them were. "Wow," I said, "pretty big family." "Oh, this is just brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces and uncles and aunts. When we get the whole family together, it's much bigger than this." Now that, I thought, must be SOME party!
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| Kitam, Ahmad, 5 brothers & 2 sisters |
The food was delicious and we were sitting right next to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a wonderful evening to celebrate the marriage of my friends, Ahmad and Khitam.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is my last full day here in Palestine. Monday, before you get out of bed, I leave on a plane for the States. I'll be back in Maine late Monday night and I'll see you later in the week.
I hope you're having fun and learning something!
Grampa Al
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