Traditional village weddings in Lebanon are a multiday affair with diverse cultural traditions that vary by region. In the mountains and valleys beyond the big coastal cities, weddings are often as much about two families coming together as they are about two individuals coming together. Although aspects of modern wedding customs common in Lebanon’s large cities are spreading to the countryside, many rural traditions remain strong and unique. In this episode, Dareen tells us about traditional village weddings and even sings a traditional wedding chant that ends with a joyful cry: lululululeee!
Lebanese Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
1
مرحبا، أنا دارين. حلقتنا اليوم عن أحلى مناسبة بتصير بين الناس، وهي العرس. رَح نتعرف فيها على العرس القروي اللبناني. وكلمة قروي، جاية من القرية، يعني الضيعة، ومعناتا عرس الضيعة التقليدي.
Hello. I am Dareen. Today’s episode is about the best occasion that could happen to people, which is a wedding. We will get to know the traditional Lebanese village wedding.
2
بلبنان بتختلف عادات الأعراس بين عيلة عيلة، وبين ضيعة وضيعة. وهالإختلاف أسبابو كتيرة. مرّات إلو علاقة بالمنطقة، ومرات بالدين، ومرات بالوضع المادي للعروسين. منشان هيك رَح نجرب نحكي بالعموم، يعني كلمحة عامة، عن المراحل اللي بيمرق فيها العرس اللبناني بالضيعة.
In Lebanon wedding customs differ from one family to another, and one village to another. This difference depends sometimes on the region, religion, or financial status of the newlyweds. Therefore, we will try to speak in general – a general overview of the different stages through which a traditional Lebanese village wedding goes.