Today was a great day! I finally woke up before noon and was quite proud of myself :) Amanda had to work today so Amy and I decided to cruise over to some museums. There are two museums on the island.
The first one we went to was the Bahrain National Museum. The downstairs totally bothered my Type A brain. It was random....like an ADHD kid on Honey Boo Boo's Go-Go Juice organized it. You walk around and it's like: Painting! Jewelry! Old stone! Another painting! Animal! History! Rock! Etc.....no rhyme or reason to it. My favorite part was that some of it seemed made up or they would just literally write a question mark. I would look at something to see what it is and the description would say "Where did these pearls come from?"....or some other random question that totally leaves me with more questions. Or, just a question mark. What???
The upstairs of the museum was my favorite part because it was more organized and gave me a better understanding of the culture and lifestyles of Bahrain. I was fascinated by so many cultural traditions here and I learned a lot! However, the mannequins in the museum *MAY* give me nightmares tonight. They were rather frightening...Night at the Museum would definitely be a horror story in this place! Here are some things I found the most interesting.....
First of all, if there is a picture that is not "appropriate", they simply get rid of the part they don't want seen. For example, this photo above is showing a doctor getting rid of an irritation using natural methods....but I guess the irritation was determined too much to be seen, so they literally SCRATCHED it out so you can't see it.
Speaking of practical methods for healing....I found this description of the "Evil Eye" and posted this just for my big sister :) Apparently, when someone curses you by placing an evil eye spirit on you, (often due to jealousy), the only way to remove the spell is to burn a cloth belonging to the "evil eyer" and smell it, or drink water left in a glass from the evil eyer. Bam! I feel like an official doctor knowing this stuff.
The picture above is the super creepy mannequins showing how a bride is brought into the wedding ceremony. (On a carpet if you can't tell). Wedding info here is muy loco to me! There are so many rules and ways things happen. One of the strangest for me to understand, is that typically cousins marry cousins. I read this is mostly to keep money within a family. If you don't find a cousin you like, then a matchmaker is called in and calls the father with potential husbands. Once a husband is chosen, HE gets to set the wedding date, the money, and even the clothes.
Another thing I found interesting was the birth process. From the museum, "Before birth, the woman goes to the father's house, where herbal draughts and nourishing food have been prepared. After birth the woman is given a ritual cup of water and three dried dates. The baby's umbilical cord is buried in the mosque if it is a boy and in the kitchen of a girl. A rooster or a chicken is slaughtered." WHAT in the WORLD?! Oh, and also....they do not bathe the baby for SEVEN days after birth. After the baby is born "...the baby is rubbed with salt and herbs [and] is wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a cradle. Then, the call to prayer is recited into its right ear, and the beginning of the prayer is recited into its left ear, according to the teachings of the Prophet." As for circumcision, which occurs around the age of 6...
Okay boys and girls, that's enough for today. Tomorrow I will teach you about the tradition that occurs when a child loses their "milk teeth".....to be continued....
I will also have to finish telling you about my day of adventure. So much that I've gotten to see and do and LEARN! Loving life :)
The first one we went to was the Bahrain National Museum. The downstairs totally bothered my Type A brain. It was random....like an ADHD kid on Honey Boo Boo's Go-Go Juice organized it. You walk around and it's like: Painting! Jewelry! Old stone! Another painting! Animal! History! Rock! Etc.....no rhyme or reason to it. My favorite part was that some of it seemed made up or they would just literally write a question mark. I would look at something to see what it is and the description would say "Where did these pearls come from?"....or some other random question that totally leaves me with more questions. Or, just a question mark. What???
The upstairs of the museum was my favorite part because it was more organized and gave me a better understanding of the culture and lifestyles of Bahrain. I was fascinated by so many cultural traditions here and I learned a lot! However, the mannequins in the museum *MAY* give me nightmares tonight. They were rather frightening...Night at the Museum would definitely be a horror story in this place! Here are some things I found the most interesting.....
Another thing I found interesting was the birth process. From the museum, "Before birth, the woman goes to the father's house, where herbal draughts and nourishing food have been prepared. After birth the woman is given a ritual cup of water and three dried dates. The baby's umbilical cord is buried in the mosque if it is a boy and in the kitchen of a girl. A rooster or a chicken is slaughtered." WHAT in the WORLD?! Oh, and also....they do not bathe the baby for SEVEN days after birth. After the baby is born "...the baby is rubbed with salt and herbs [and] is wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a cradle. Then, the call to prayer is recited into its right ear, and the beginning of the prayer is recited into its left ear, according to the teachings of the Prophet." As for circumcision, which occurs around the age of 6...
Okay boys and girls, that's enough for today. Tomorrow I will teach you about the tradition that occurs when a child loses their "milk teeth".....to be continued....
I will also have to finish telling you about my day of adventure. So much that I've gotten to see and do and LEARN! Loving life :)
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