Maaloula is on the news today and it is Eid El Berbara

Siq or Shiq Maaloula next to Mar Takla in Maaloula, Syria - image source TripAdvisor

Maaloula, a small city in Syria, is everywhere on the (sad) news today and it is Eid El Berbara (Saint Barbara's eve). What is so remarkable about this coincidence?
As a Child, I visited Mar Takla convent in Maaloula and still remember the alley through the rocks or the Siq Maaloula, where it is believed that Berbara crossed escaping the romans, disguising herself because she had embraced the Christian faith, thus Christians nowadays in Lebanon and Syria celebrate St. Barbara by Wearing costumes and trick or treating and singing popular songs in their streets.

You can find more info about the story here, so I am not going to go into the details, I remember very clearly the nuns telling me the story, yet this is the only link on the internet talking about St. Berbara passing in Maaloula that I could find.

Tonight, Children where knocking on my door trick or treating, there used to be much more kids celebrating this holiday, but it sadly seems like Halloween is taking over our 3rd of December St. Barbara's Celebrations.

Masks of Lebanese political leaders among other Characters in a shop for Eid El Berbara (Source Now Lebanon)

Today, from my blog usually dedicated to Lebanon, I send a simple shout out to Syria and I hope peace will be back in all its cities, and children and teenagers will be soon enough back on the street hiding their faces only because they are playing and not to hide their identities out of fear (Check Syria's Lost Generation by photographer Elena Dorfman)

Tarek 18years old, image source http://elenadorfman.com/

A Beirut map anchor point

 

Driving out of St. George Hospital Street, Elie Saba is on your left before getting back on the main road, just where there is traffic jam all the time. 

No matter the weather, he is always there, wearing shorts in summer and this hat during winter times, smoking his cigarette and watching TV.

He provides drive through services selling mainly cigarettes. Just park your car close enough so he does not have to stand up when giving you your pack.

Supermarket Goods to lift your spirituality

Candles - price tag says : Saint Maroun 3240 LL - N.D. Meduggorieh 3240 LL
Are they selling the candle or the Saint?

Hrisseh - Community celebration

The church under construction

People preparing the bbq or mashawi next to the church 

In Bhamdoun and the surrounding villages, Hrisseh is the way to celebrate. On Saint Mary's day - and throughout the night - the "Bhamdounieh" or people of Bhamdoun cook Hrisseh and eat with their neighboring villages. At Rejmeh, my small village 10 minutes away from Bhamdoun, they do Hrisseh on "Eid El Salib" (meaning the Cross Day) on the 13th of September, even if the church's name is Saydet El Bechara with it's aniversary being on Saint Mary's day.

Saint Mary's Day is for Bhamdoun, Mar Elias is for Mansourieh and Eid El Salib is for Rejmeh, ... that is how it has always been, even before 1982 displacement and war.

The old church got destroyed during the war, so "Eid El Salib" is also a fundraising event (for more than 10 years now) to help rebuilding it.

My mother invited her Lebanese American friend and her family to celebrate with us, they did not visit Lebanon for over 35 years. They enjoyed the welcoming spirit so much and the daughter in her early thirties said "we do not have such community celebrations in Los Angeles" (funnily comparing LA to Rejmeh) in the US one fundraising diner [with all its advertising and communication and specially the tax return] would get the church built in one year, and then people would loose the interest in organizing diners when there is no purpose.

I ask myself would these celebrations continue with the next generation, knowing that most live in the city and come there only during weekends or festivities and will the church ever be completed and when.

10 - 11 hours later Hrisseh was Ready 

Back to our  Hrisseh,  for "Eid el Salib" of 2010, it was made with 25 kg of wheat, a lot of salt and spices and 2 lambs. Yes, 2 full lambs (minus some lahme nayyeh - raw meet  - the men ate early morning when setting up the fire and recipe). The cooking, done with great care, is head by the hrisseh connaisseur of the region, Adib from Mansourieh. The pot cooked for over 10 hours.
While waiting for the queen-of-the-night-dish, people bring their own mezze  and whisky [or arak, but whisky would be the king, if hrisseh is the queen] or buy mashawi [fundraising] and coke and almaza [fundraising] while listening to the entertainer telling jokes and selling the tombola [big fundraising activity winning over being loud and annoying]. It is funny how the smallest Lebanese dinner entrée, the mezze, supposedly small bites before the big dish end up always being something grand (specially to the visiting foreigners) "oh, we won't be able to taste everything or maybe just a little bit of that"

Around 11pm Hrisseh was ready, people rushed in the get their share and there was plenty for all and more (following the old good hospitality reputation of the region: you invite 4 people you cook for 8. you invite 200, well you do cook for 300 at least) and i got mine and it was delicious. Delicious.
I even got my share to take back home.

Cooking Hrisseh - men taking turn for stirring - village's priest checking on the cook. 

People eating Hrisseh - National security and army where also present, as for all big gatherings in the country. Of course they had a fine diner with everyone.

Friday at the Duke of Wellington

The Duke of Wellington in the Mayflower Hotel - Hamra is the usual stop for early Friday night, even though we do not always get there early enough to have our preferred strategic spot: these two benches.
Check out another photography with Hala and Gheith on an entertaining Friday here.


















(p.s. this is not an advertising for the 2 benches, please do keep them free in case i get there late, and thank you ^_^)

Birthday