Wedding

Last night I had an amazing opportunity to attend a Palestinian wedding with the principal of my school and his wife. Marta receieved the call at 3 PM, and he told us they would pick us up at 8:15 that night. So it was something we weren't really expecting but were excited about nevertheless. When we got to the wedding, we realized that, compared to some women, we were serverely underdressed. I was wearing the dressiest thing I owned, which boiled down to a black skirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and semi-dressy shoes. Standing next to women in prom dresses and gowns made me feel a bit scrubby, but then I saw that there were some women in jeans. It surprised me to see this range of clothing at a wedding. Some of the dresses the women wore also surprised me, as there was more skin showing last night than we have seen this whole month! It makes sense though, as weddings are family events, so women can feel free to let loose a bit and not worry about unfamiliar men looking at them.
When we walked in, I felt a little nervous...here we were, two American girls, obviously not part of the family, walking into an important family event. This was their special day, so why would they make any attempt to make us feel welcome? Well, once again, Palestinian hospitality was thrown in our direction. Our principal introduced us to some members of his family, who talked to us and told us we were welcome. We danced to Palestinian music and, while I certainly couldn't keep up with everyone around me, I had a blast. After the dance, the meal was served, and then the bride and groom had their first slow dance. The lights dimmed, bubbles floated down from the ceiling, and a thin fog rose up around the dancing couple. It was like something from a movie. During this dance, Marta and I were each handed a candle and were told this was for single women. The first thought that came to my mind was, "Oh great. We are going to be the oldest girls surrounded by 5-year-olds" (because women here get married pretty young). Fortunately, this wasn't the case, and we got to participate in a cool tradition in which the bride comes out with 2 candles, and all the single women surround her in a circle.
Then, the men were all given fezes and wands and had their moment to shine. They danced around the groom, and then eventually put the groom on their shoulders and passed him through the crowd. The energy was incredible at this point. Everyone was clapping, laughing, and cheering. There certainly wasn't a dull moment in this wedding! At this point, Marta and I started talking to a young woman. We couldn't communicate very well because it was loud and neither of us spoke much of the other's language, but we danced with her and she invited us back to her table to meet her family. So we met her parents and brother and sat with her for a while. She welcomed us warmly to Palestine and seemed very happy to have met us. The feeling was mutual.
Unfortunately, the night of good food, laughter, dancing, and joy had to come to an end. We left around midnight, feeling ecstatic and reminiscing excitedly about the night's events. This wedding was definitely a highlight of my experience here thus far. Weddings are a good reminder that life and happiness exist despite suffering. Beauty and love are everywhere.