This following report ocmes from Siouxzie, an Olympia-Rafah Sister City delegate in Rafah:

Since being in Rafah, I have attended two weddings and have been invited to many more. Weddings are pretty much an everyday occurrence here, but this is winter and it is the slow season. I?m told that in summer, there are usually several weddings a day. I wish I could show you pictures from these spectacular events, but photos are only allowed for the families. Like most things in Gaza, weddings are gender segregated. The only man allowed inside the wedding hall with the women is the groom. Men sit outside, drinking tea or coffee and chatting. All of the fun happens inside the wedding hall, where the women dance to loud Arabic pop music with the occasional American ballad for the newly weds.

Weddings are basically open to the public (for women). The wedding hall looks more like a concert hall than what we associate with wedding halls in the U.S. The bride and groom sit in big fancy chairs like a king and queen on a stage. Only women from the bride and groom?s family can dance on the stage and actually participate. The rest of the ladies sit in seats in front of the stage, watching women in the families shake it like there?s no tomorrow.

The groom wears a nice suit, but no tuxes here. Brides wear fancy, sexy white wedding dresses. She, like weddings in the U.S., is the queen of the event. Her hair is elaborately styled and her makeup is so extravagant that she looks like an Arab Barbie doll. The girls from the bride and groom?s side of the family wear fancy dresses that are close to European club wear. Legs, arms, and more are showing. The mothers, however, usually wear more traditional clothes along with the hijab (hair covering).

The dancing is by far the most exciting. These women can dance in a way that puts every American girl to shame. I?m still trying to figure out how they shake their hips and butts the ways they do, even after several lessons from friends. When one of my friends asked me what foreigners would think about the Arabic style of dancing, I assured them that most American men would be quite interested and these women would have no problems making friends at a nightclub. These women can move it all in such a way that sexy can?t even come close to describing their movements.

One doesn?t pick these moves up simply by watching the tube. The girls get together with friends, lock their bedroom door, close the blinds, and pump the music. The men outside the bedroom door laugh at what they see as their silly sisters, but on their wedding day they will agree that all the hard work has paid off. Even the old mothers, despite their age, still got moves better that I could ever dream of. The bride and groom stand up to dance during particular songs. They are the center of attention, so usually the other women stand off to the side. Then there are the special slow songs for the intimate moments. During the slow songs, the bride and groom dance in a style similar to what I recall from middle school days.

The whole bash usually concludes by prayer time. What happens next for the bride and groom is anybody?s guess. Let?s just say if it?s a good night there is a baby in nine months. Mabruk!! (Congratulations)

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