Culture of Palestine
The Culture of Palestine is the culture of the Palestinian people, located across Historic
Palestine as well as in the Palestinian diaspora. Palestinian culture is influenced by the
many diverse cultures and religions which have existed in historic Palestine, from the
early Canaanite period onward. Cultural contributions to the fields
of art, literature, music, costume and cuisine express the Palestinian identity despite the
geographical separation between the Palestinian territories, Palestinian citizens and the
diaspora.[1][2]
Folklore[edit]
Palestinian folklore is the body of expressive culture, including
tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and
comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of Palestinian culture. The folklorist
revival among Palestinian intellectuals such as Nimr Sirhan, Musa Allush, Salim
Mubayyid, and the Palestinian Folklore Society of the 1970s, emphasized pre-
Islamic (and pre-Hebraic) cultural roots, re-constructing Palestinian identity with a focus
on Canaanite and Jebusite cultures.[3] Such efforts seem to have borne fruit as evidenced
in the organization of celebrations like the Qabatiya Canaanite festival and the annual
Music Festival of Yabus by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.[3]
Costumes[edit]
Main article: Palestinian costumes
Girls in Bethlehem costume pre-1885
Foreign travelers to Palestine in late 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on
the rich variety of costumes among the Palestinian people, and particularly among
the fellaheen or village women. Until the 1940s, a woman's economic status, whether
married or single, and the town or area they were from could be deciphered by most
Palestinian women by the type of cloth, colors, cut, and embroidery motifs, or lack
thereof, used for the robe-like dress or "thoub" in Arabic.[4]
The 1948 Palestinian exodus led to a disruption in traditional modes of dress and
customs, as many women who had been displaced could no longer afford the time or
money to invest in complex embroidered garments.[5] New styles began to appear the
1960s. For example, the "six-branched dress" named after the six wide bands of
embroidery running down from the waist.[6] These styles came from the refugee camps,
particularly after 1967. Individual village styles were lost and replaced by an identifiable
"Palestinian" style.[7] The shawal, a style popular in the West Bank and Jordan before
the First Intifada, probably evolved from one of the many welfare embroidery projects in
the refugee camps. It was a shorter and narrower fashion, with a western cut.[8]
Dance[edit]
Palestinian 'Dabke folk dance as performed by men
Dabke (Arabic: دبكة, is an Arab folk dance native to the Levant countries.[9] It is popular in
Palestinian culture, and many troupes perform the dance throughout the world. The
Dabke is marked by synchronized jumping, stamping, and movement, similar to tap
dancing.[10][11][12][13][14]
Folk tales[edit]
Traditional storytelling among Palestinians is prefaced with an invitation to the listeners to
give blessings to God and the Prophet Mohammed or the Virgin Mary as the case may
be, and includes the traditional opening: "There was, in the oldness of time ..." Formulaic
elements of the stories share much in common with the wider Arab world, though the
rhyming scheme is distinct. There are a cast of supernatural characters: Jinss and Djinns
who can cross the Seven Seas in an instant, giants, and ghouls with eyes of ember and
teeth of brass.
Music[edit]
See also: Music of Palestine
Kamanjeh performer in Jerusalem, 1859.[15]
Traditional Palestinian songs have no set lyrics but rather a set rhythm to them, allowing
for improvised folk poetry lyrics. A form of this style of folk singing is Ataaba; it consists of
4 verses, following a specific form and meter. The distinguishing feature of ataaba is that
the first three verses end with the same word meaning three different things, and the
fourth verse serves as a conclusion. The Ataaba continues to be performed at weddings
and festivals in Arab localities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza strip.[16]
Other traditional Palestinian song styles include zajal, Bein Al-dawai, Al-Rozana, Zarif –
Al-Toul, Al-Maijana, Sahja/Saamir and Zaghareed.
Over three decades, the Palestinian National Music and Dance Troupe (El Funoun)
and Mohsen Subhi have reinterpreted and rearranged traditional wedding songs such
as Mish'al (1986), Marj Ibn 'Amer(1989) and Zaghareed (1997).[17]
