Charity lunch held for women and children

The room was a swirl of traditional and modern clothing, from Arabic and other countries. Food from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Palestine was spread upon the tables. Music from all over the world could be heard. Most remarkable of all are the women, from a variety of countries, wearing brightly colored dresses and performing traditional and contemporary dances from their countries.

All this was to be found under one roof at the Charity Lunch Party, carried out by the Head of Mission Spouses Association in Yemen last week at the Movenpick Hotel to raise money to help Yemeni nongovernmental organizations that work with women and children.  “The association carries out a charity lunch party and a bazaar every year. All these are achieved by the efforts of the wives of The Head of Mission Spouses,” Najat Baba al-Sheikh, the head of Head of Mission Spouses Association and wife of the Tunisian ambassador.

“The lunch party and bazaar aim to help the women and children of Yemen. The profits of the party will go to charity associations who help the Yemeni women and children, such as al-Saleh Charity Corporation.” The festivities began with the playing of musical pieces, including traditional, folkloric and classics from various countries.  Malaysian models demonstrated various traditional clothes that represent their culture. Every dress represented a different area in Malaysia.

The Malaysian show included both traditional and modern Malaysian dances. The Malaysian show was marked by its lightness of performance and the bright colors of the clothing. “Some of the Malaysian dresses were wonderful; they represent simplicity, and can be worn by Yemeni women on special occasions,” said N.S., a Yemeni women who declined to give her name. “Although I could not understand the lyrics of the Malaysian songs which accompanied the fashion shows, the music and songs were very well suited to the fashion shows.”

After that, a Jordanian show began with Jordanian, traditional and folkloric songs. Then the Jordanian models began their show with traditional and modern Jordanian clothes. The Jordanian show included various folkloric dances.  “The Jordanian show presented the Jordanian heritage in a simple way. The Jordanian songs were very beautiful although that I could not understand their words. The clothes were very magnificent and they are somewhat similar to the Indian heritage,” said H.W. an Indian woman who also declined to give her name. 

Then the Yemeni show began with the entrance of a little Yemeni girl, who was wearing the traditional men`s clothes, accompanied by al-Bara`a drums. After that, the models entered in a bridal procession. The bride was wearing the ancient pink bridal dress. The wedding procession began with traditional wedding, with Yemeni models wearing traditional and modern clothes from all around the country, with the traditional silver accessories. 

Many women in attendance wore traditional Yemeni clothing with the addition of some modern modifications that made them even more striking. The Yemeni folklore was distinguished by innovation: for instance, the traditional and very colorful Sanani Abaya, “al-Sitara,” was converted into a dress worn by young girls. “I am very happy with the participation in this show, because it presents Yemeni heritage and culture,” said one of the Yemeni models.

“I participated in this show because it is my duty to present Yemeni heritage, so that its folklore and culture can be known all around the world.” The Saudi show began with Saudi badawi (Bedouin) songs followed by modern songs from the Gulf. Then the Saudi models strolled around the stage to their traditional music. They were wearing badawi, rural and urban clothes, carrying frankincense.   One of those in attendance said, “I did not think that the female Saudi society had all this beauty; they surprised me.”

The Indonesian show was distinguished by its wedding procession with Indonesian clothes for men and women. The bride was walking on the stage, and her groom was beside her, wearing the traditional wedding clothes. One of the models played a beautiful Indonesian musical piece for the wedding parties. Then the model danced the Indonesian folkloric dance, which represents the Indonesian wedding events. Then the models danced and sang an Indonesian song.  The Indonesian dancer Linda danced a dance from Egypt, and then one from the Palestinian folklore. “I am very happy with my participation in these shows, because they are a benefit to Yemeni women and children.

I am also very happy with my skills in the Arabic dance I have learned it because I love it very much,” said Linda, the Indonesian dancer. The Palestinian show began after that, with a wedding procession accompanied by traditional wedding chants. During the chanting performance, the bride appeared on the stage accompanied by another girl that wore the groom`s traditional clothes. The models began to appear on the stage wearing the traditional Palestinian clothes from various areas, dancing various dances from their culture.

One of the Palestinian models said that despite the siege in her country, they have time for fun and for celebrating weddings in traditional ways. “We try to preserve our ancient traditions,” she said. Several Yemeni companies provided gifts that were distributed at the end of the party, as a lottery, to encourage many people to buy more entrance tickets. The charity lunch included various Arab and foreign dishes. Also, every participating country such as Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Italy, Great Britain, Malaysia and others participated by bringing its traditional dishes. 

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