Tis' the season to be jolly

There is no tolerance for side stepping awkwardly on the edge of the dance floor at Arabic weddings (not that I’d personally ever entertain such behaviour).  You have no option but to get well and truly involved in the dance floor action and whatever you do, don’t forget to move those hips! 

Almost every night I can hear the sound systems blaring and car horns honking for another night of nuptial revelry.  Summer time means wedding time and this year’s season is particularly busy because everyone wants to tie the knot before the start of the holy month of Ramadan in just over a month.  Good job I packed my dancing shoes!  Last night we went to our first wedding of the trip and what an opener it was.  Wedding parties here generally fall into two categories; those with the men and women together and those with the men and women separated.  Although last night was segregated, needless to say the less popular kind of shindig, there was much fun to be had.

A disproportionately high number of the groom’s family were deaf and dumb, including the groom himself, but that didn’t keep them off the dance floor.  At one point the DJ cleared the tiles purely for the deaf people (around 30 lads), wacked up the volume and let the mayhem ensue.  Watching the group go absolutely spare to ridiculously loud arabesque disco music was a sight I won’t be forgetting in a hurry. 

I still had my time to shine.  After lots of Arabic music and traditional dabkha dancing the DJ thought he’d play something for the younger crowd to really get down to.  Out of nowhere he slammed on some dodgy Euro-dance music and the place went completely insane.  As the only foreigner in the house I was dragged into the centre and everyone wanted to have a dance with me, or at least throw me up on their shoulders. I think they were adequately impressed or at least entertained by my moves.  It was half nine at night in Bethlehem, no one was on anything stronger than 7up, groups of amused and slightly bemused middle aged Arab men watched on and yet this was one of the maddest little raves I think I’d ever been in.  Happy days!