We celebrated Eid with an Omani family (David's department chair Ali and his wife Radia). The holiday meal took place at Ali's sister's house, about an hour north of Muscat. As per Muslim custom, our family was divided after we passed through the front gate, with David and Ali entering the men’s living room through the front door, and Radia and I (and the kids) joining the women in a separate living room through a side door. David told me later that the men’s room was very formal, with nice sofas lining the walls, red carpet from wall to wall, and a chandelier hanging from above. The women’s room was similar in layout, with couches and rugs, but was less formal, with a television on one end and kids wandering in and out.
Ali has a large family, and I was introduced to about 10-12 sisters, nieces and cousins. A few women were teachers, one was a pharmacist, and a couple of the younger ones were studying at Sohar University. One was due to have her first child in a week, and another had a 10-day old baby girl (who was already wearing traditional black make-up on her eyes!). Some women wore black abayas, others wore colorful dresses. Many women and nearly all the little girls (and babies!) had arms and feet decorated with Henna. When families initially arrived, I had a brief view of the men as they dropped off the women and children in our room and greeted their female relatives. David did not see any of the women at any time during our visit.
We ate well today! First, there was a fancy fruit tray with Asian pears, oranges, apples, and grap
es. A pan filled with warm water was passed around so we could wash our hands before eating. About an hour later, the house maids lay down a large straw mat and a long plastic sheet in preparation for the main meal. A whole lamb had been roasted on coals under the ground (wrapped in banana leaves and foil) for 3-4 days in preparation for the Eid meal. Huge platters of rice, lamb, salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers), chicken tikka, a meat-cooked-with-wheat dish, dates, and fruit. We all ate sitting on the floor, some using spoons to eat and others just using their hands (their right hand, to be more specific!). Drinks consisted of water and a fruit-flavored soda (Vimto). Later on we ate Lebanese goodies (baklava!), cookies and toffees.
After the meal, Ali’s sister passed out 1-rial bills (about $2.50) to each of the children (children traditionally receive money on Eid). Ethan was excited to show me his "money" that he would “pay” with.
A woman about my age named Ayat offered to decorate my hands with Henna. It took 10-15 minutes for her to design the back of one hand with henna paste, and then another hour or two for the paste to dry enough to be removed. With my henna I felt like I was really one of the girls! One of the women showed me the henna stains on her 4-month-old girl’s hands, and explained to me that the old way of doing henna was to put the paste in the palm of the hand, fold the thumb in, and then the fingers.
As we drove home that evening, David and I shared our individual accounts of the day. We remembered sitting in our Arab and Family Culture class in Jerusalem 9 years ago, learning for the first time about the separate living rooms for men and women in Muslim households. That concept seemed so foreign at the time, and yet today’s experience reminded me of family parties with the Porcaros, where the women gather upstairs to chat, the men migrate downstairs to watch movies, and the kids run all around and in between.
Stylin' with my Henna.
(It should last a couple of weeks.)
