User:Annie1137/sandbox

Culture of Jordan

Language

The primary language spoken in Jordan is colloquial Arabic, one of the Arabic dialects of Modern Standard Arabic. The dialects spoken by Jordanians typically fall under one of three categories: urban, rural Palestinian, and rural Jordanian or Bedouin Arabic. The dialects differ on both the phonological and the lexical levels. Phonologically, one of the most prominent distinguishers between the dialects is the sound that each makes as a substitute for the letter /q/ in Classical Arabic. The urban dialect is substitutes a [‘] (glottal stop) for the letter, whereas Rural Palestinian dialect substitutes a [k] sound for it, and Bedouin dialect, a [g]. A shift, however, has begun to occur with more Jordanians adopting [g] as the Bedouin dialect does for /q/, often hypothesized to be due to feelings of pride and nationalism relating to a local identity represented by Bedouin culture in rural Jordan. The Bedouin dialect is often noted for its similarities Modern Standard Arabic. All of the Jordanian dialects have borrowed words from a variety of languages, with loanwords coming from such languages as Turkish, Italian, French, and English.

Hospitality

One of the key aspects of Jordanian culture is the hospitality shown by hosts to their guests. This is felt even by walking around the streets of Jordan where the phrase “ahlan wa sahlan” (“I welcome you”) is heard nearly everywhere a person goes.

Old proverbs such as the following one show that traditions of hospitality date back many years:

The host must fear the guest. When he sits [and shares your food], he is company. When he stands [and leaves your house], he is a poet” (Lazim al-mu’azzib yikhaf min al-dhayf. Luma yijlis howa dhayf. Luma yigum howa sha’ir).

Some of the traditions of hospitality come from Jordanian Bedouin culture. For example, oftentimes, the host and his/her guest are to share a cup of black coffee. The host drinks out of the cup first, ensuring that the coffee is the right temperature. The guest then drinks what remains of the first cup. A second cup is served to the guest, and then a third. The host also serves the guest copious amounts of food and is careful to make sure the guest is comfortable and stays as long as he/she would like. Such displays are referred to as karam, the Arabic word for “generosity” or “hospitality” that also has implications of “nobility,” “grace,” and “refinement.”

In addition to wanting to be hospitable, the host also has a reputation at stake when inviting over a guest. If a guest has an unpleasant experience, such as one including lukewarm tea or insufficient food or a feeling of being rushed off, then he/she could tarnish the reputation of the host in their shared community.

Cuisine

Mansaf

The national dish in Jordan is called mansaf, a dish that is associated with Bedouin traditions. Despite these rural roots, it is shared by Jordanians of many diverse backgrounds, not just Bedouins or those who can trace their ancestral lines back to Bedouins. The dish is composed of bread, lamb, yogurt, rice, nuts, and seasoning, and served on a large, circular platter. The ingredients are combined to form several layers. The first layer is made of thin, unleavened bread, shredded and soaked in yogurt broth. Next is a layer of rice which covers the bread. Large chunks of lamb that have been simmered in the same type of yogurt broth are placed on top of the rice. The head of the lamb is placed in the center of the tray. Pine nuts, almonds, and parsley are sprinkled atop the meat and rice. The final step involves pouring a yogurt broth over the entire dish, which is then added periodically throughout the meal to keep the dish warm and moist. Traditionally, mansaf is eaten while sitting on the floor, using ones hands to eat from a large, circular communal tray. This tradition still persists, although in modern years, many people have taken to eating the dish with silverware. Most admit, however, that mansaf tastes better when eaten with the hand. The dish takes hours to prepare and thus is primarily served only on special occasions.

Meals

Breakfast usually includes a variety of white cheeses, olives, pickled vegetables, and freshly-baked breads served with various fruit spreads, butter, or honey. Most opt for tea or fruit juice as a drink with breakfast. Lunch is the main meal for most Jordanian families. It typically includes a main dish containing meat, as well as a wide variety of salads and dips. Some common salads are tabbouleh and salatah ‘arabiyah (chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and onions, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice). Dips include baba ghanouj and tahini. Dinner is generally a smaller meal than lunch, but this can vary family-to-family depending on work schedules. If traditional practice is followed, the meal is usually a type of soup or stew or the leftovers from lunch.

Imported Culinary Customs

The large Palestinian population in the country has led to the rise of another popular dish among the people of Jordan: maqluba. This dish is made of meat (typically beef or lamb), fried onions, and a variety of vegetables. The word maqlubah means “upside down” and the dish draws its name from the fact that the pot it is prepared in is turned upside down on a plate before it is served. The dish falls out of the pot with what had been at the bottom of the pot during preparation now sitting on top of the dish. Falafel, kibbeh, and kanafeh Nablusi have also all made their way into mainstream Jordanian culinary culture. These dishes come from Syria and Palestine. The Ottoman legacy also lives on in Jordanian cuisine, as evidenced by the presence of such dishes as one called kabsa or Riz Bukhari which is made with chicken, onions, carrots, tomatoes, orange or lemon zest and juice, and spices. This mixture is served on top of rice and sprinkled with raisons and chopped almonds. This dish originates with Turkish-speaking Uzbeks from Central Asia who came to Jordan in the decade after World War I.

Religion

Ninety-six percent of Jordan’s population is Sunni Muslim. The other four percent are primarily Christian. Organized Islamic movements today may be categorized into two categories: that which focuses on political goals, and that which focuses on religious revival. One of the politically-oriented groups is the Muslim Brotherhood. Some of the organized non-political Islamic groups are Sufi orders, the Jamaat al-Tabligh and the Jamaat al-Sulufiyya (known in Egyptian colloquial as al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya.

Media

Nonprint media has played the most impactful role in Jordanian culture. Television production in particular has thrived due to high quality acting and creative, interesting story lines that challenge and critique contemporary Arab society. Print media too, however, continues to play a large role in Jordanian culture as newspapers are widely read.

Print Media

Jordan has four daily Arabic newspapers: ad-Dustour (the Constitution) Al Rai (The Opinion) are the most widely read of the Arabic language newspapers. Additionally, the country has one daily English newspaper The Jordan Times, and one weekly English newspaper, The Star. (See List of newspapers in Jordan)

Film

Jordan does not have a film industry. The only Jordanian film is Captain Abu Raed . Though this is the only Jordanian film made in Jordan, there have been multiple Hollywood films filmed on location in Jordan such as Lawrence of Arabia]] and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The 2010 Oscar winner for Best Picture, The Hurt Locker, was also filmed in Jordan.

Television and Musalsalat

The term ‘musalsalat’ may be loosely translated as Arabic soap operas. Jordan produces a number of “Bedouin Soap Operas” that are filmed outdoors with authentic props. The actors use Bedouin-accented Arabic to make the story feel more authentic, but have incorporated aspects of the accent of Bedouins of the Gulf in order to make the dialect more widely understood. These musalsalat have become popular in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Iraq. In musalsalat that center around traditional village life during the time period just before World War II. Oftentimes, these dramas are permeated by themes of tension between the traditional and modern ways of life with specific emphasis on the patriarchal systems and the role of women within them. Unique to this particular type of musalsal is the willingness of the shows’ creators to confront sensitive issues such as honor killing. Another musalsal genre is that of the historical drama. Topics of these shows range from pre-Islamic poets to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Many of these are joint productions by Jordanian, Syrian, and Gulf television producers. While the aforementioned musalsalat target a broader, Arabic-speaking audience, certain programs target Jordanians specifically. These shows tend to deal with social and political issues particular to current-day Amman. Acting in these programs, as well as Jordanian musalsalat in general, is often lauded as being superior to that of many Egyptian-produced soap operas.

Dance

Much of what is considered traditional music and dance in Jordanian culture comes from the rural Bedouin traditions. One of the most popular traditional dances in Jordan is dabke. This may be performed as gender-segregated or co-ed groups. The dancers line up shoulder-to-shoulder, holding hands or placing arms over the neighboring two dancers’ shoulders, then move as a group in a circle using steps that are punctuated by kicks and stomps. The accompanying music includes a flute called a ney, a drum called a tabl, and a reed instrument called a mizmar. This group dance is popular among Bedouins and non-Bedouins alike, and is often performed at weddings.

Weddings

Traditional weddings in Jordan have come to resemble closely those of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. The customs, however, often vary between traditional Bedouin practice and non-Bedouin practice.

Bedouin Weddings

Bedouin tradition favors marriage between first cousins on the paternal side of the family. This allows family property to stay within the family. When a man decides he would like to marry, he, his father, and the women of the family discuss who might be an appropriate choice for a wife. Then, a courtship begins. The young man is able to meet with his potential spouse multiple times until they decide whether the marriage will happen. The father of the bride meets with the young man and his father, who seal the agreement over coffee.

Traditional Bedouin wedding celebrations last anywhere from 5 to 7 days. The week begins with small gatherings in the tents of the bride and the groom. These gatherings increase in size throughout the week, adding more guests and food as the days pass. The men gather in the groom’s tent where they dance and sing and use pistols and rifles to shoot celebratory shots in the air. The women gather in the bride’s tent, and on the final night they paint her hands and feet with henna. On the day of the wedding, the male relatives of the groom dress and prepare him; the women prepare the bride. The bride is dressed in an embroidered wedding dress and gold or silver jewelry, with a green silk cloth covering her head. The female relatives process her to the groom’s tent where the wedding takes place. After seven days of marriage, the female relatives of the groom wash and dress the new bride, who is now officially a married woman of the groom’s household.

Non-Bedouin Jordanian Weddings

Traditional weddings among non-Bedouin Jordanians involve a long process that starts with an engagement. Typically, the older women in the family lead the process and talk among one another their children and which among them might make a good match as husband and wife. When an agreement is made between two families, the deal is confirmed over rounds of coffee between the girl’s father and the prospective groom and his father. The groom’s family then hosts a large engagement party. The two families work together to prepare for the wedding.

Traditional wedding celebrations last a week that begins with small gatherings of family and close friends. As the days pass and the wedding grows closer, the parties increase in size. More guests are invited and more food is served. The night before the wedding, the bride’s hands and feet are painted with henna by the women in her family as they sing and tell stories. Traditionally, on the morning of the wedding, the groom’s friends take him to a bathhouse for an intense cleaning and a shave, singing and telling jokes all the while, but today this is less common. Once prepared, both the bride and the groom go to the house of the groom’s parents. The bride is processed by a caravan of honking cars. The men typically sit outside the house; the women, inside. There is much singing and dancing done by all. Mansif is typically served as the noonday meal.

Today, especially in cities such as Amman, it is also common for the wedding celebration to be shortened to make the occasion more financially affordable, as well as less time consuming. Many brides opt for Western-style white dresses; grooms, a formal black suit. The procession of cars still occurs, but oftentimes to a wedding hall rather than the groom’s house where guests may or may not sit segregated by gender.

Archaelogy

Archaeological study of Jordan began in the 19th century with the discovery of Petra by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Most archaeological attention in the 19th century, however, was focused on Palestine since foreign archaeologists tended to be preoccupied with the proliferation of Biblical sites located there. The Department of Antiquities in Amman was established in 1923, and since then, there have been excavations at Amman, Pella, Gadara in Um Qais, Petra, Jerash, Kerak, and Aljun. Neolithic statuettes were found in 1983 at the site of prehistoric village Ain Ghazal. Fourth century mosaics have been found in the church at the Monument of Moses at Mt. Nebo, and Byzantine mosaics at various churches in Nebo and Madaba. Other mosaics are found throughout the Jordanian desert at various castles dating back to the Umayyad dynasty. Such castles include Qasr al-Hallabat, Hmmam al-Sarakh, Qusayr ‘amra, Qasr Kharana, Mshatta, and Qasr al-Tuba.

The Jordan Archaeological Museum was founded in 1951 in Amman, and museums at Petra, jerash, Madaba, and Kerak have also come into existence.