Culture of Bahrain

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Culture of Bahrain
History
People
Languages
Cuisine
Religion
Art
Literature
Sport
Music and performing arts
Media
Monuments
Symbols

The culture of

Hindu temples as well as a (now-defunct) Jewish synagogue are present on the island.[2]

People and heritage

Main article: Ethnic, cultural and religious groups of Bahrain

Bahraini people are ethnically diverse. There are at least 8–9 different ethnic groups of Bahraini citizens. Shia Bahraini citizens are divided into two main ethnic groups:

Bahrani and Ajam. Most Shia Bahrainis are ethnic Baharna, the Baharna being descendants of the original pre-Islamic inhabitants of Bahrain. The Baharna speak a variety of Arabic known as Bahrani Arabic. The Ajam are ethnic Persian
Shias.They maintain a distinct culture and language, and they have greatly influenced the Bahraini culture.

Among Sunni Bahraini citizens, there are also many different ethnic groups. Sunni Bahrainis are mainly divided into two main ethnic groups: urban Arabs (al Arab) and

Huwala. The urban Arabs are mostly descendants of Sunni Arabs from central Arabia who were (alongside the baharna) traditionally pearl-divers, merchants, sailors, traders and fishermen in the pre-oil era. The Huwala are descendants of Sunni Iranians; some of them are ethnic Persians,[3][4] and others are ethnic Sunni Arabs.[5][6]

In addition to these native Bahraini ethnic groups, there are also ethnic

Palestinian refugees
and other Levant Arab immigrants.

Just around half of the population are Arabs. Foreign-born inhabitants, comprising more than half of the population, are mostly from

Britain, and the United States. About three-fifths of the largely Asian labor force is foreign.[8]

The population is mostly

Ajami dialect of Persian is widely spoken by Persian Bahraini citizens Ajam. Many Bahrainis have a working knowledge not only of English but Hindi and Urdu
as well.

Football (

soccer) is the most popular modern sport, while traditional pastimes such as horse riding, and gazelle and hare
hunting are still practiced by wealthier Bahrainis.

Traditional handicraft industries enjoy state and popular support. The Bahrain National Museum in Manama contains local artifacts dating from antiquity, such as ivory figurines, pottery, copper articles, and gold rings, many of which reflect various cultural influences from outside Bahrain. There is also a small but flourishing avant-garde art community.

Traditional dresses

The traditional Bahraini woman dress is an abaya, a long loose-fitting black gown, worn along with a black cloth on the head called the hijab.

ghutra and agal

Bahraini men's traditional dress is the

ghutra and agal
.

The thobe (or 'dishdasha' in Kuwaiti) is a loose, long-sleeved, ankle-length garment. Summer thobes are white and made of cotton and winter thobes are black and made of wool.

The ghutra is a square scarf, made of cotton, and is folded in a triangle and worn over the keffiyeh. In Bahrain, it is usually red and white checked or all white. There is no significance placed on which kind the man wears in Bahrain, although this selection has implications in other Persian Gulf countries.

The keffiyeh is a white knitted skull cap worn under the ghutra.

The agal is a thick, double, black cord that is worn on the top of the ghutra to hold it in place.

In some occasions, Bahrainis wear a bisht, which is a cloak made of wool, over the thobe. Unlike the thobe, the bisht is soft, and it is usually black, brown, or grey.

Gargee'an

Main article: Gargee'an

Garqee'an is a biannual celebration observed in Bahrain and rest of

sweets from neighbours, whilst also singing traditional songs. The tradition has existed for hundreds of years and deeply rooted in Gulf culture.[9]

Although the celebration of Garqee'an shares superficial similarities with the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating, practiced in some Western countries, it has no connection with horror and no associated origin with Halloween.

Media

Main article: Media of Bahrain

Several weekly and daily papers are published in

ruling family. The state television and radio stations broadcast most programs in Arabic: there are channels in English and Hindi (radio) as well. A new digital publishing company that has been gaining attention with tourists, expats, and young Bahraini residents is LocalBH
with content ranging from tourist attractions, entertainment and up to date events in Bahrain.

Arts, music and dance

Further information:
Theatre in Bahrain, and Cinema of Bahrain
Outline of the oud

Arts include readings of the Quran, ceremonial dances accompanied by flat drums, and storytelling. The poets of Bahrain are famous for their poetic verses and carry on established traditions while also exploring new themes. Births and marriages call for wide-scale celebrations in Bahrain, which often are a pleasure to take part in. Apart from this, the people of Bahrain are also known for their artistic skills, the boats used for fishing and pearling being an example of this craftsmanship. The traditional jewelry also speaks volumes about the intricate designs that the people of Bahrain can come up with.

Hidd
.

The music of Bahrain follows the traditional mode. It is elaborate and repetitive. It is played on the oud (an ancestor of the lute) and the rebab (a one-stringed instrument). Bahrain also has a folk dance tradition. The ardha is a men's sword dance, which is accompanied by traditional drummers and a poet, who sings the lyrics.

A small number of feature films have been produced in the country; the first of which being the 1971

Disney film Hamad and the Pirates, which features notable landmarks such as the Bab Al Bahrain and Mina Salman.[13] This was followed in 1990 by drama film The Barrier, directed by Bassam Al-Thawadi
. Cinemas have been popular establishments since the early 1920s when a makeshift movie theater was formed.

Festivals and customs

National Cultural Heritage Sites

Places

Holidays

On 1 September 2006, Bahrain changed its weekend from being Thursdays and Fridays to Fridays and Saturdays, in order to have a day of the weekend shared with the rest of the world. Notable holidays in the country are listed below:

Date English name Local (
Arabic
) name		 Description
1 January New Year's Day رأس السنة الميلادية The Gregorian New Year's Day, celebrated by most parts of the world.
1 May Labour Day يوم العمال Locally called "Eid Al Oumal" (Workers' Day), it is an annual holiday that celebrates the achievements of workers.
16 December
National Day
 اليوم الوطني National Day of Bahrain.
17 December
Accession Day
 يوم الجلوس Accession Day for the late Amir Sh. Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
1st Muharram Islamic New Year رأس السنة الهجرية
Islamic
New Year (also known as: Hijri New Year).
9th, 10th Muharram
Day of Ashura
 عاشوراء Commemorates the martyrdom of
Imam Hussein
.
12th
Rabiul Awwal
 Prophet Muhammad's birthday المولد النبوي Commemorates Prophet Muhammad's birthday, celebrated in most parts of the Muslim world.
1st, 2nd, 3rd Shawwal
Little Feast
 عيد الفطر Commemorates end of Ramadan.
9th
Zulhijjah
Arafat Day
 يوم عرفة Commemoration of Muhammad's final sermon and completion of the message of Islam.
10th, 11th, 12th
Zulhijjah
Feast of the Sacrifice
 عيد الأضحى Commemorates Ebrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Also known as the Big Feast (celebrated from the 10th to 13th).

See also

References

  1. ^ Culture of Bahrain
  2. ^ "Living in Bahrain: The Culture". Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  3. ^ "Two ethnicities, three generations: Phonological variation and change in Kuwait" (PDF). Newcastle University. 2010. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  4. ISBN 90-04-10763-0
  5. ^ Rentz, "al- Baḥrayn.": "A good number of the Sunnīs of Baḥrayn are Arabs or the descendants of Arabs once resident on the Persian coast; such are known as Huwala."
  6. ^ Rentz, G. "al- Kawāsim." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 15 March 2008 [1]
  7. ^ "Bahrain's Rainbow Nation in Manama - HotelTravel.com". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  8. ^ "Bahrain witnesses population explosion - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com". Archived from the original on 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  9. ^ "القرقاعون من أهم الاحتفالات الرمضانية الشعبية في مملكة البحرين". Bahrain News Agency. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Editors quit to save Bahraini newspaper from ban". The Guardian. Associated Press. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  11. ^ Kristin Jones (2012). "The Calculus of Risk: Awardees Work Despite Perils". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  12. ^ Alessandra Bajec (24 November 2011). "I am proud to contribute to the right side of history". European Journalism Centre (via EMAJ Magazine). Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  13. ^ "Hamad and pirates come alive at La Fontaine". GDN Online. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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