Salaam: Celebration in Tuwani

I am leaving in a week, which seems unbelievable. Over the past week, Tuwani has been a really exciting place to be in as they've been celebrating a wedding. The festivities began on Monday night and lasted until Friday. Each night, the men and women would gather separately to celebrate. The women's parties consisted of singing traditional wedding songs as someone played the tabla (the Arabic drum). Then we would drink tea or juice, and then the cassette player would come out and the women would dance (and I loved joining in). I have never seen them so happy. It's not often the women have a chance to get together as they are taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and cooking all day. So, when weddings happen, they live it up...our parties lasted until about midnight every night.

The day before the wedding, 11 families gave goats and sheep to be slaughtered for the occasion. I've mentioned this to some of you in the past, but as a meat eater, I think it's very important to see where your meat comes from. As a kid in the city, sometimes I thought hamburgers just magically appeared for my consumption. Watching the actual process of slaughtering an animal isn't something I enjoy necessarily, but it gives me a greater appreciation for the process and helps me to see meat as a rare gift, not a right.

As the women waited for the bride to arrive Friday evening (she is from the nearby town of Yatta), my team mates got a call from someone in the village that the Israeli army had set up a flying checkpoint near the entrance to Tuwani. I was imagining the bride's car being stopped by young Israeli soldiers on their way in...what an interesting way to start one's marriage. Luckily, the soldiers left before she arrived and the women greeted her and her new husband with loud ululations, singing and dancing. I am really thankful for times of celebration in this place.