Cultural Cultivation and Assimilation Layla Odeh
Growing up, I remember cringing whenever a family event approached, specifically a wedding. I always would think of a classic couple of questions: “Who are these people?” and “When are we going home?” All the memories I have from weddings or related events would come from photographs, not memories from my personal experience. Yet, I remember experiencing my first traditional Palestinian event from the comfort of my own home at about eleven years old.
shopping for wedding decorations, it is an opportunity to make arrangements that further their bonds with one another. Yet, the wedding is not the only occasion in need of extravagance. There are many traditions that characterize a Palestiniain wedding. A Palestinian marriage could not get underway without the joyous sounds of the ululation or zaghareet. Zaghareet expresses the happiness and joy felt by both sides of the family, specifically of the women as they are usually the ones performing the zaghareet. It typically symbolizes the commencement of the celebration or event.
My cousin was getting engaged to a Palestinian whose family was deeply rooted in tradition. I was in awe of the amount of gold presented to her and Henna is a popular art observed by multiple culthe traditional dresses his tures, mainly Indian, Pakisisters, aunts, and mother “Gold necklaces, bracelets, and an- stani, and various African had worn for the occasion. The house was bustling with klets are commonly worn to events communities. For Palestinian wedding ceremonial events, pride and joy as the DJ such as the henna night and wedding the henna designs are simple played Arabic music while the women chimed in by and are worn by women from both patterns, yet extremely intricate at the same time. Henna singing folk songs. I rememsides of the family. “ is applied during the Henna ber backyard gatherings afnight, which occurs the night terwards filled with laughter and the taste of mansaf before the wedding ceremony and is a gathering inupon my lips as our families got to know one anothvolving food and dancing. The women dance in harer. Such occasions became more than a matter of mony to old folk songs while some decorate the photos for me and instead led to a desire to look bride’s hand with intricate patterns of henna. deeper into these traditions.
As mesmerizing as the henna is to guests, the traditional dress, or thobe, worn by the bride for the occasion is expected to be more mesmerizing. The Palestinian thobe displays a sense of affinity to the bride’s identity through its embroidered patterns, or tatreez, typically in black and red. In older generations, the thobe represented the bride’s social class in heritage, ancestry, and affiliations. Some brides wear ones passed down to them from their mother or grandmother.
When it comes to sticking to tradition from a Palestinian perspective, the timeline leading up to marriage entails many customs passed on from generation to generation. The happiness which resonates from these customs and traditions manifests the joyous spirits of our ancestors. Its ordained and detailed planning makes for years of memories to come. In the time leading up to the wedding, both sides of the family meet up and get to know one another. Whether it's participating in late-night gettogethers called sahra or engaging in last-minute
The bride must look her best at such events mentioned above, and the guests make it a priority to look their absolute best as well. Women sometimes 16
