How to celebrate a wedding, Jordanian style
August 3, 2008
Jordanians like to celebrate in style, and their idea of a celebration in essence involves making a great deal of noise. The biggest celebration is, unsurprisingly, that of a wedding, and weddings involve a great deal of noisemaking, which comes in three forms: car horns, fireworks, and occasionally gunfire. On Friday, as I helped Waleed take the roof off his Jeep, we heard the distinct sound of gunshots. I wondered what that was about, and Waleed said it was probably just someone celebrating, probably a wedding (Getting married is one of the things Muslims are allowed to do on Fridays).
Friday night I went up on the roof, and I counted five sets of fireworks going off. I can hear fireworks outside right now; someone was just setting them off a few blocks away; I could see the flashes of light outside my window. I told Hilda about this while we were waiting for Waleed at the sulfur springs.
ME: It seems like everyone was getting married last night.
HILDA: Everyone’s always getting married. But at the same time, everyone’s always getting divorced.
ME: Do they set off fireworks for that, too?
HILDA: I did. I had a huge party.
Driving down from Umm Qais yesterday, we passed several wedding caravans, driving brides to their new homes with their husbands’ families. One of them was more than ten cars long, and all of them involved a great deal of horn honking and shouting.
I guess a woman about to commit herself to a sedentary life of baby-making deserves one last hurrah.
August 5, 2008 at 2:49 am
To my # 1 fan,
I heard a rumor that you’re not completely satisfied with this blog. Well kiddo I’m here to tell you that you should be! Your writing is so entertaining — I just love it. Also, it’s the 4th, so where’s today’s post? You can’t be my official editor unless you keep me up to date with your wonderful adventures.
From your #1 fan.
August 6, 2008 at 5:02 am
I just found your blog! Very interesting how you just decided to go teach English in Jordan.
This might me be future too! lol I have a student friend at NYIT too…I read your intro and some of your posts. Happy to find that you’ve just begun, but I am confused by how your comment regarding wedding parties, and them being a woman’s “last hurrah”, did not receive a separate paragraph about your “views”…?
Btw, nice to meet you (sorta, lol) I’m Kelly, and in my last semester at Earlham College, and then I’ll be heading to Jordan. Inshallah I hope to read more of your posts in the future!
Until then, take care!
August 23, 2008 at 6:52 pm
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