Archive for 'Culture'
Talking Politics Posted by aziza on Jan 24, 2011
Politics of the Middle East is very complicated. Each other country presents a unique style of government. Most countries are republics, some are kingdoms, and there is one sultanate. Most Arab peoples have suffered undemocratic and oppressive governments over their long histories, and few revolutions and coups have taken place in the past. The most…
Merry Christmas Posted by aziza on Dec 25, 2010
Merry Christmas ميلاد مجيد Christmas is now widely celebrated around the Arab world. Hotels and restaurants hold special banquets and invite celebrities. Musical performances are arranged in different countries and are aired on national televisions. People have a day off work.Many families buy a Christmas tree, but not as many as in the West. This…
The Day of Ashura Posted by aziza on Dec 18, 2010
The Day of Ashura (عاشوراء) is on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. It marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram. The day of Ashura is special to all Muslims, especially the Shiites. Sunni Muslims celebrate the day by fasting it and by preparing a special treat that…
The New Hijri Year Posted by aziza on Dec 15, 2010
The new Hijri year (1432) started on the 7th of December 2010. The word Hijri is derived from the word Hijra (emigration of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina.) This is considered the beginning of the establishment of the Islamic state. The beginning of the Hijri year is often celebrated in many ways. Sufi traditions…
Sesame Street in the Arab World Posted by aziza on Dec 12, 2010
The famous American educations series Sesame Street has an Arabic version (عالم سمسم) which is very popular in the Arab world. I am familiar with the Egyptian version of Sesame Street. It is fun, educational and very popular with Arab children. The setting is adapted to the Arab culture and the setting reflects the Egyptian…
Abaya Posted by aziza on Dec 9, 2010
In a previous post, I wrote about the traditional costumes of Arab men in the Gulf region. In this post, I write about women’s dress. In Gulf countries, women traditionally wear Abaya (العباية) which is a traditional long black over garment. The Abaya often comes with a matching head cover, as shown in the picture…
Joha and New Joha Posted by aziza on Nov 26, 2010
Joha (جحا) is a famous character in Arabic popular literature. Joha is known for being a funny character that has sometimes behaves in very strange, hilarious, or even ridiculous ways. He is famous in different cultures, and the character has been adapted to different settings and different ages, e.g. however there are many similarities between…