Ever wanted to travel to the Middle East or experience what the Arabic culture is all about? Chances are, the only thing holding you back is the distance. But that’s the magic of the Third Annual Winter Hafli “Party” put on by the Arab Student Union Saturday at the EMU Ballroom@@http://oied.uoregon.edu/hafliparty@@. Students and guests of the event delved into the culture with traditional Arabic music, food and dancing without having to travel thousands of miles.
Hussein Abu-Hamdeh, director of the Arab Student Union,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Hussein+Abu-Hamdeh@@ said the whole point of the celebration was to inform people about the culture in an entertaining way.
“A lot of times in the media, people don’t really see this more fun and exciting side of Arabic culture,” he said. “We want to bring it to the UO and get people involved.”
Hafli means “party” in Arabic. The celebration is a huge Arabic festival with traditional Arabic music, food and dancing. Camille Nawawi, a student intern for the Arab Student Union,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Camille+Nawawi+@@ said it’s a place for everyone to hang out and “party like Arabs.”
“Arabs have a certain way of partying,” she said. “It’s really traditional with the amazing food and music.”
Before the music and dancing began, guests piled their plates high with a wide variety of traditional Arabic food catered by Plaza Latina@@http://www.yelp.com/biz/plaza-latina-supermarket-eugene@@. The smell of falafel, tzatziki, hummus, pita, grape leaf wraps and traditional Lebanese salads filled the air as guests ate before the evening began.
When the band Fantasy of the East @@don’t know how to find this band. I don’t think middle easterns know how to use the internet (except for twitter, obv).@@began its musical performance, the EMU Ballroom exploded with culture. The band sang a mixture of melodies from the Middle East, ranging from music of the Persian Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, to the countries of the Levant, such as Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt.
Guests then worked off their previous indulgences with the traditional Dabke dance, which is literally “stamping of the feet” in Arabic@@http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f20/dabke-can-you-dance-54719/@@. It is a line dance that is widely performed at weddings and joyous occasions in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.
Those who knew the Dabke steps strutted their stuff, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers. Other guests kept the 1-2-3 rhythm as they clapped and stomped around in a circle.
Shan Chen, a sophomore at the University@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Shan+Chen@@, had never attended a Hafli celebration before but said she decided to go because her Arabic professor mentioned that the Arab Student Union was hosting a huge party in the EMU.
“My favorite part about the night was the dancing because it was something new that I had never experienced or even thought about,” she said.
Even more exciting than the dances was the appearance of world-renowned Arabic singer Fadi Hanani@@http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fadi-Hanani/191069215785@@. The crowd cheered and danced as the Arabic singer and band rocked the stage with classic Arabic music.
While the night seemed to be all fun and games, the point was to exemplify the beauty of the culture and to get rid of the negative stereotypes.
“The Arab culture is misrepresented in the media and we want to bring a more light side to it,” Abu-Hamdeh said. “We want to bring Arab-Americans together and people who are interested in how things are in the Middle East.”
The Arab Student Union did just that in an inspiring and exciting manner. Guests left with nothing but smiling faces, a full stomach, sweat-stained clothing and a new and deeper understanding of Arabic culture.
“What better way to bring people together than with food, dance, party … Hafli,” Arab Student Union volunteer Samantha Klotz said.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Samantha+Klotz@@
Arab Student Union hosts Hafli event to give students opportunity to ‘party like Arabs’
Daily Emerald
February 4, 2012
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