Christmas Display on our compound 2012

our Christmas bush

another shot of our Christmas bush

It is December 23rd here in Saudi. Tim and I are at work. I do not have to work on Christmas Day or the day after as I work at a school. Tim will be working.... that is just the way it is here. The weather is very pleasant and there are holiday lights up on the compound.... maybe I will stop by and take a picture of them to post to this blog. Patty and Josh are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. We found some Christmas lights and have strung them up on a plastic plant I have in our living room so that our daughter will not be disappointed. She loves Christmas! Yeah! I went to a Saudi Wedding last Wednesday night. It is for women only and is part of a several day celebration of the new couples marriage. I believe there was an engagement party.... a guys event.... an actual wedding ceremony... and then there was what I went to ... an all night women's celebration and reception. We were given coffee, juices, cappuccinos, tea, candy, deserts, munchies and we gathered in a grand ball room at one of the up scale hotels here in Jeddah. There were a couple hundred women all dressed to the hilt in formals and we listened to a middle eastern style of music all night long and danced on a center stage that was set up for us in the center of the  room. It is a different style of dancing but fun. One lady put on a bally style dance for us all in her formal.... wow... she could really wiggle... We were not allowed to bring cameras but there were still those who did and pictures were taken... they will not be posted on public forums or blogs due to the not wanting women's pictures posted but I might get some on email from a friend who had a camera phone with her. Although language was somewhat of a barrier it was still overcome by lots of smiles and a general good time to be had by all. We arrived around 10PM and we were the early ones. The festivities continued on through the night. At around 3AM the groom and his groomsmen showed up for a formal procession and presentation of the bride from the brides family to the groom. The groomsmen entered first and all the Saudi women had thrown there veils on and covered their exotic formals up under their black abayas. Then the groom entered in a grand style with music and Saudi cheers.... from the other end of  the ballroom on an upper balcony entrance the bride then was escorted in by her father... Her dress was gorgeous and much like any fancy dress found in the states.... the father, groom, and all the groomsmen were in their finest Thobes, robes and headdresses.. the groom then ascended the stairs to the balcony where the father handed his daughter over to him and kissed them both , then the father came downstairs and joined the groomsmen on a viewing stage. The bride and groom looked down over the ladies in the ball room and the single Saudi women gathered beneath  the bride and groom .... the bride then sprinkled flower petals on ladies beneath her and  tossed the bridal  bouquet. This  is then followed by the bride and  groom coming down the stairs .... attendants are scurrying around the  bride with each step she takes altering and adjusting her long bridal veil for the professional photographer  that is documenting the event  for the wedding party. The bride and groom  make it to the stage and are  welcomed and congratulated by  the bride and grooms families and wedding party. Pictures.... pictures... pictures.... The couple then parade over to the opposite side of the room where the 10 foot tall cake is  waiting for them. They  do the ceremonial cake cutting and the drinking of something that looks similar to champagne but is not alcohol... after all this they go back to the stage  and more photos are taken.... the groom and the father of the bride and the groomsmen head out to the banquet hall for supper... it is now around 4:30AM.... the bride is left on the stage for all the women to come congratulate her and take photos....she was beautiful.... we then left the grand ball room and headed to the banquet room where there was a table filled with food that must have been over 50 foot long... lamb, seafood, beef... no pork... and veggies and rice and deserts.... no need to go away hungry. We sat with  three Saudi women and enjoyed a conversation through  many efforts to translate and our own translator, a lady who has lived  on the Raytheon compound for many years. I  walked back into my apartment on the compound at around 5:30AM .... just an evening out in Saudi. :)