Lebanese Culture, Folklore and Customs

 

To understand and enjoy Arabic music and dance, it is very important to learn about the culture, beliefs, attitude, language, food, drink, social life and most importantly Arabic women.

In my classes I am always keen to share my knowledge and experiences.

 

Fortune-tellers and astrology

Astrology first came to us from the Chaldeans and was practised by the Arabs from the 8th century onwards. Astrologers were consulted by all the caliphs and in the 1930s fortunes were still being read in the sand in Beirut.
Nowadays, sand has been replaced by the grains at the bottom of the coffee cup, although Bedouin women still predict the future from seashells thrown on to the ground.

 

New Moon

The moon has always been the object of special veneration in Lebanon.
According to one Lebanese custom, you must look at the new moon, close your eyes, reopen them and kiss the first person you see (hopefully someone pleasant). The rays from that person will influence the month to come. The period of the annual Ramadan fast is calculated from the new moon.

 

Traditional entertainment

Lebanese people love to dance the DABKE OR ANY OTHER FORM OF ARABIC DANCING. MUSIC in Lebanon is anything but discreet and the streets echo daily to the wail of varieties and traditional music whose minor keys and semi tones sound rather dreadful to the uninitiated. Yet there is something fascinating about these melodies especially when played on the accordion or violin, even if it seems strange to western ears.

 

Lebanese Women

Women are free. There are women managers and film producers, doctors, solicitors, writers. They wear Paris fashions and can be seen in theatres and restaurants late at night. Lebanese women hold the family purse strings and keep an eye on stocks and share prices for husbands and sons. Lebanese woman steers a clever path between apparent submission and complete equality.