Christmas in Maghdouche

The newly established children "Choir of Glory" has performed a Christmas concert in Maghdouche church, the evening of the 23rd of December 2010. In this little video, Maghdouche children are performing a traditional melkite bizantine Christmas song.

It's About Time, Guys !!!

After a stop that has last since 2006, Maghdouche scouts - group N.D. of Maghdouche are starting from scratch.
yesterday February the 6th. 2010, the first formation part ended with an engagement ceremony (Riham al Hayek, Rita Constantine and Danielle Barrack) Some members have been engaged since 2004 and 2005.

"We will be meeting every saturday at 11:00 am till 1:00 pm at Notre-Dame School in Maghdouche" said to us Wadih Constantine, the leader of the group, and when we asked about the plans for the future he said: "... the plans are to make this group grow faster.. the second step will be in 2 weeks. We will start by forming older children to be responsible of the youngest. Later, they will be divided into 4 units or groups".

We ,in Dignity, wish the scouts of Maghdouche all the best of luck and we support their brave step that is really needed in Maghdouche, on the hope that we will be able to collaborate together in the future.

Melhem Barakat in Maghdouche !

This might not be of interest for our norwegian friends, but I have to mention it here as "Melhem Barakat" is one of the big names when one talks about arabic music. Lebanese and arab followers know what I am talking about.

From Maghdouche party 09/09/09, here are 2 videos that I found posted on facebook. Enjoy !

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=163117221006&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=162677236006

A Tribute to George Khalil

Maghdouche Festival 2009 was launched with a tribute to George Khalil who passed away lately. George Khalil was the founder of the "Kroom e Shams" Festival and one of those who worked hard to assume its continuity.

In the photo, Dr. Ghazi Ayyoub , the mayor of Maghdouche is presenting the honor shield to father Jacques George Khalil. Photos by Hiba Ghanem.

Maghdouche Festival 2009

This year "Kroum e Shams" Festival, directly translated as "Vineyards of the Sun festival", has exceptionally shifted name to "Maghdouche Festival 2009".

Does the name matter that much ? For the young generation, it does'nt, as far as the Arak is the same, the Stolichnaya Vodka is the same, the barbecued meat cubes are the same and our famous "Dabke" dance lasting till the morning is the same.

But for us, the older generation, the generation that grew up with the festival, the name means a lot. It is the name that gave to the festival its identity and particularity, and what is more particular for Maghdouche than its grapes and its vineyards?

This year, the preparations are in progress. Thanks for the efforts of enthosiastic Maghdouche people, the festival manages to host some big names in the arab art scene: Melhem Barakat (6/9/2009), and Diana Haddad (7/9/2009), as well as many others known names: Margo Kassar, Fadia Najem etc etc...

The festival this year starts on the 22/8/2009 and ends on the 13/9/2009.

For arabic speakers, you can find the full program of the festival on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=218246260166

2 More Oya Mandeels

As our research for Oya continued, we got to Sonia Cattan after we heard that she has a collection of Oya. Unfortunately, the collection was stolen during the war on Maghdouche in 1986... Only 2 Oya mandeels survived. Here is Maryline wearing them for the photo.

Back to the Oya Story...

After our visit to Samia Saab and our research on Oya, could it still be possible to find Oya in Maghdouche? I haven't seen any black widow since years, not even any old woman wearing a Mandeel anymore! ...But whom to ask about Oya? ...for sure, Let us ask Jamal !!!

Jamal is our neighbour and guardian angel when we are in Beit el Founoun. She offers us juice or a cup of coffee whenever she has time or needs to have a little rest...

... and when we asked her about Oya, she just dissappeared for a while and came back with her mother's Oya (Zakieh) that she kept for years after her mother's death.

She proudly and full with emotions, showed us how to wear it on the head and the correct way for knobbing it.

It was not the best Oya we have seen, not after seeing the big collection of Samia Saab, but it was an Oya coming from old Maghdouche, and that was what made it special. Besides, the wood prints on the textile attracted our curiosityand attention to a possible traditional art technique that dissappeared with the time.

From my childhood, I remember Zakieh wearing her mandeel. It might be this one or another one. It does not matter. What matters now is that we are on the right track and that, by highlighting such thing, our satisfaction is enormous.

Happy Easter - God påske - Al Massi7 Qam

Around 3:00 am. this morning, the bells of the church in Maghdouche rang loud...

It's "El Hajmeh", a service that starts outside in the street and continues inside the church for hours till after sunrise. The famous sermon of St. John Chrysostom "the Golden mouth" makes the peak of the prayer... Another Easter service would follow for those who were too sleepy and did not make it for the first service.

The long Friday service "Jinnez el Massi7" .... Photo: Petra Hakim

Easter wishes and visits continue for the next days where "Ma3moul", chocolate eggs are offered. Whileas for the children, a competition in who is having the strongest coloured egg is usually held in the place of the village.

The Golgotha Mountain symbolization inside the church ... Photo: Petra Hakim

The last week was a heavy and intensive lithurgical week, as traditions and lithurgical prayers have a big value in the hearts of Maghdouche people.

Happy Easter to all.

Palm Sunday 2009

... and here are some photos of Palm Sunday 2009. Thank you Petra for sending them.

Hosanna in the Highest !!!!

Maghdouche celebrates today The Palm Sunday "Sha3nineh".

Today, every child in the village, put on the best cloths he has, hold the big candle that mothers have decorated with flowers and branches and ornaments, and rush to the church... not to miss the celebration, for today it is the day of children!

Photo: Ghada Elias 2008

Every father today, after the mass is over, hold his child on the shoulders and while the bells of the church are ringing (the small bell as well as the big bell that rings only on big occasions), and turn around the church in a big celebration. People coming from the christian villages surrounding Maghdouche, hold palm tree branches and join the celebration, singing in one voice: "Hosanna in the Highest, blessed is who He comes in the name of the Lord"...

Photo:Alain Cattan 2008

3 Complete official rounds... and one extra round just to please the children !

People of Maghdouche, we wish you a happy "Cha3nineh".

Orange Blossoms Season

If you visit Maghdouche at this time of the year, you will be taken by the orange flowers perfum coming from the gardens and fields. Yes, it is the full season and people are picking their flowers and getting ready to subtract the perfumed water (Mazaher or Mayzaher) out of it.

Hundreds of people from around Lebanon rush to Maghdouche, these days, to buy either the flowers or the water, have a coffee with one or two flowers smashed in, visit "Saydet el Mantara" and head back to where they came from.

From generation to generation, the tradition is going on. Carlos' initiation to the orange blossoms


Hmmm, what a fragrance !


Ready for the alembic "karakeh"


Only in Maghdouche !

Researching Maghdouche Costumes - På leting etter klær fra Maghdouche

One of the first things I do when I visit Lebanon, is to get back to the family photos that survived the 17 years of lebanese war and the fire that burned the family house in 1986 due to a heavy war that took place in Maghdouche and lasted for one month.

På norsk:

Noe av det første jeg gjør når jeg kommer til Libanon er å finne de få bildene som fantes etter 17 år med krig og nedbrent familiehus i 1986.

As a part of our Dignity project is to research the lebanese traditional costume that was used in Maghdouche, I rushed to see the photos and was eager to find a particular photo of my grand grand parents that I know it is still there...

Som en del av vårt Dignity prosjekt forsøker vi å finne tilbake til tradisjonelle klesdrakter som var brukt i Maghdouche. Jeg fant et bilde fra mine tippoldeforeldre............

I showed the photo to Trond Einar and he was fascinated by 2 things: the brocade shirt of my grand grand father and by the hair cover (mandeel) of my grand grand mother and all the small flowers surrounding it, and he said: "here is something that we need to research deeper !".

Jeg viste Trond Einar fotoet og han var fasinert over to ting: Min tippoldefars skjorte og tippoldemors hodetørkle (mandil) med de små blomstene.

Mabroomeh - Mabroumeh

It has been 15 years, I haven't had "Mabroomeh". People of Maghdouche prepare it once a year at the week preceding the catholic fast (last week), and it never happens that I am there... and for somebody born and raised in Maghdouche, this is a big deprivation.

These "modern days", the filling varies from sweetened cheese to pistachio, almond, cashew nuts, pine seeds... etc. etc... but originally, "Mabroumeh" is filled with minced walnuts, sugar, orange blossom water and rose water. The mixture is laid on a vermicelli dough and then rolled in a kind of giant cigars, baked in trays and watered with cold sugar sirop "atr" immediately after being out of the oven. Yummm !

Norwegian Cultural Salon involving Maghdouche

It was short after our arrival to Norway that we heard about the Cultural Salon "kultursalongen" taken place in Hernes, Elverum , the 7th. of February 2009, at 18:30.

Among various cultural activities, Trond Einar is invited to inform about our art project "Dignity" and the status of the project after our last visit to Maghdouche, Lebanon.

For more information about the Salon and the program , check the link:
http://www.kultursalongen.com/21847822

We hope to see you there...

Christmas Concert in Maghdouche

Sunday, the 21st. of December at 6:00 in the evening, the bells of Maghdouche church will be ringing loud. The reason is the Christmas concert that became a tradition in the yearly preparation for Maghdouche Christmas.

Arround 40 young people from Maghdouche and its surrounding villages, who form the Savior's Choir, will be singing traditional oriental as well as modern Christmas songs, in arabic, french and english.

By curiosity, we entered the church last December, but with peace and deep Christmas spirit, we left. To listen to these young voices was such a wonderful experience.

Maghdouche celebrates " Saydet el Mantara"

On the 8th. of september of every year, Maghdouche celebrates "Saydet el Mantara" (Our Lady of the Awaiting). Local people call the celebration: "Eid e Saydeh" and they combine it with a big festival called "Kroum e Shams" which is traditionally the celebration of the harvesting of Maghdouche's grapes.

"Dabke" a folk dance performed by youngsters of Maghdouche (photo: Toni Abboud)

For the occasion, Maghdouche presents 2 kinds of festivities: religious celebrations and entertainments that last for arround 3 weeks and end on the 13th. of september with the celebration of the cross "Eid Essalib".

Tribute to a Big Maghdouche Musician

During the days of "Kroum e Shams" festival, the "Shabibat el Moukhalles" choir (the Saviour's Youth choir) conducted by father makarios Haidamous, will be performing a tribute consert to the big local musician Elias el Nachef (the photo) who passed away few years ago.
Elias el Nashef was an intellectual school teacher and a talented musician. He is known for his bizantine hymns and psalms music which is performed in many roman-catholic (melkite) churches arround the arab world.

Date: Thirsday the 4th of september 2008
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Basketball playground - opposit of Maghdouche church