Culture of Palestine
The culture of Israelis and Palestinians is influenced by the many diverse cultures and religions which have existed in the historical region of Palestine. The cultural and linguistic heritage of Palestinian Arabs along with Lebanese, Syrians, and Jordanians is integral part of levantine Arab culture[1]
Cultural contributions to the fields of art, literature, music, costume and cuisine express the Palestinian identity despite the geographical separation between the Palestinians from the Palestinian territories, Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians in the diaspora.[2][3]
Palestinian culture consists of
Palestine's significant intangible cultural heritage has been recognised by UNSECO, with a first inscription for
Traditional wear
Foreign travelers to Palestine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on the rich variety of traditional clothing among the Palestinian people, and particularly among the
The
In 2021 Palestinian embroidery was inscribed to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.[5]
Dance
Folk tales
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.[citation needed]
Palestinian hikaye is a form of women's oral literature that addresses social questions. Performed in winter, older women address the stories to younger women and children.[19][20] In 2008 it was inscribed to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.[21]
Music
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
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).[24]
Theater
Palestinian theater resembles other Arab theaters, but differs significantly because of the history of the area and its people. It came about with difficulty and was initially focused inward, but has since grown into a distinct cultural practice. Marie Elias, in the Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, recognizes three different stages. Palestinian theater started in the "context of a cultural renaissance" across the Levant and particularly in the 1920s, with productions based on Arab texts or translated European plays. A second period a "rebirth" occurred in the late 1960s, and after the Six-Day War of 1967 "a clear, but uncoordinated, desire was expressed, both within Palestine and abroad, to develop theater with a Palestinian identity", according to Elias. A notable group from that period is the Balalin Theater Troupe, which had started in 1970 as the Theater Family troupe. A third period started in 1993, after the Oslo Agreement, which saw a professionalization in the West Bank, though developments in the Gaza Strip were much more difficult.[25]
Balalin Theater Troupe
Architecture
Traditional
Sports
Palestinian athletes have competed at every Olympic Games since the
Games inherited from the Ottoman era were the starting point of Palestinian sports during the British Mandate. These games included horse racing, running, wrestling and swimming. However, football gained popularity over time.
The true beginning of the phenomenon of establishing social-athletic clubs in Palestine can be traced to the early twentieth century, specifically the 1920s. Since that time, sports – especially football – had become a social tradition; a pivotal part of Palestinian culture. Many of these clubs were established as social-cultural clubs.
Only a few clubs were established solely as athletic, while the majority emerged as social and later adopted athletic activities. By 1948, there were some 65 athletic clubs in Palestine; approximately 55 of them were members of the Arab Palestine Sports Federation (APSF) which was established in 1931 and re-established in 1944. These clubs had a tremendous impact on the lives of Palestinian young people, shaping their character and preparing them for social and political involvement.
There is a
The Beit Jala Lions is a West Bank Rugby Union team.
The Turmus Aya Equestrian Club, established in 2007, is a riding club dedicated to the mission of providing affordable access to horses for Palestinians. Ashraf Rabi, the founder, maintains that "this is part of the development of Palestine. Horses are a big part of our Arab culture and we must embrace it."[31]
Modern art
Similar to the structure of Palestinian society, the Palestinian field of arts extends over three main geographic centers:[32]
- the West Bank and Gaza Strip
- the Palestinian diaspora in the Arab world
- Europe, the United States and elsewhere.
Contemporary Palestinian art finds its roots in folk art and traditional Christian and Islamic painting. After the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, nationalistic themes have predominated as Palestinian artists use diverse media to express and explore their connection to identity and land.[33] In the 1990s Salam Dyab, Hisham Zreiq, Issa Dibe and others began to adopt modern styles and symbolism.
Modern cuisine
Palestine's history of rule by many different empires is reflected in Palestinian cuisine, which has benefited from various cultural contributions and exchanges. Generally speaking, modern Palestinian dishes have been influenced by the rule of three major Islamic groups: the Arabs, the
The cuisine of the Ottoman Empire, which incorporated Palestine as one of its provinces between 1517 and 1918, was partially made up of what had become by then a rich Arab cuisine. After the
Palestinian cuisine is divided into three regional groups: the Galilee, West Bank and Gaza area. Cuisine in the Galilee region shares much in common with Lebanese cuisine, due to extensive communication between the two regions before the establishment of Israel. Galilee inhabitants specialize in producing a number of meals based on the combination of bulgur, spices and meat, known as kibbee by Arabs. Kibbee has several variations including it being served raw, fried or baked.[36][38] Musakhan is a common main dish that originated in the Jenin and Tulkarm areas of the northern West Bank. It consists of a roasted chicken over a taboon bread that has been topped with pieces of fried sweet onions, sumac, allspice and pine nuts, cooked and finished with a generous helping of olive oil.[38] Other meals common to the area are maqluba and mansaf, the latter originating from the Bedouin population of Jordan.
The cuisine of the Gaza Strip is influenced both by neighboring Egypt and its location on the Mediterranean coast. The staple food for the majority of the inhabitants in the area is fish. Gaza has a major fishing industry and fish is often served either grilled or fried after being stuffed with
There are several foods native to Palestine that are well known in the Arab world, such as,
Chick-pea based falafel, which substituted for the
Film
Palestinian cinema is relatively young compared to Arab cinema overall and many Palestinian movies are made with European and Israeli support.[43] Palestinian films are not exclusively produced in Arabic; some are made in English, French or Hebrew.[44] More than 800 films have been produced about Palestinians, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and other related topics; notable examples are Divine Intervention and Paradise Now.
Handicrafts
A wide variety of handicrafts, many of which have been produced by Palestinians for hundreds of years, continue to be produced today. Palestinian handicrafts include embroidery and weaving, pottery-making, soap-making, glass-making, and olive wood and Mother of Pearl carvings.[citation needed]
In 2021 and 2022 respectively, joint nominations made by Palestine and other Arab States were inscribed to UNESCO's list of
Intellectuals
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Palestinian intellectuals were integral parts of wider Arab intellectual circles, as represented by individuals such as May Ziadeh and Khalil Beidas. Educational levels among Palestinians have traditionally been high. In the 1960s, the West Bank had a higher percentage of its adolescent (15 to 17 years of age) population enrolled in high school than Israel; the West Bank had a 44.6% high school enrollment rate versus a 22.8% enrollment rate in Israel.[45] Claude Cheysson, France's Minister for Foreign Affairs under the first Mitterrand Presidency, held in the mid eighties that "even thirty years ago, [Palestinians] probably already had the largest educated elite of all the Arab peoples."[46]
Diaspora figures like Edward Said and Ghada Karmi, Arab citizens of Israel like Emile Habibi, and Jordanians like Ibrahim Nasrallah have made contributions to a wide number of fields, exemplifying the diversity of experience and thought among Palestinians.[47]
Literature
The long history of the Arabic language and its rich written and oral tradition form part of the Palestinian literary tradition as it has developed over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Since 1967, most critics have theorized the existence of three "branches" of Palestinian literature, loosely divided by geographic location: 1) from inside Israel, 2) from the occupied territories, 3) from among the Palestinian diaspora throughout the Middle East.[48]
Modern poetry
Poetry, using classical pre-Islamic forms, remains an extremely popular art form, often attracting Palestinian audiences in the thousands. Until 20 years ago, local folk bards reciting traditional verses were a feature of every Palestinian town.
Modern music
Palestinian music is well known throughout the Arab world.[50] It reflects the Palestinian experience, dealing with themes such as the struggle with Israel, the longing for peace, and the love of the land of Palestine.[51] A new wave of performers emerged with distinctively Palestinian themes following the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, relating to the dreams of statehood and the burgeoning nationalist sentiments.
Since the 1990s the subgenre of
See also
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