84 H. S. Jarrett — Customs among the Bedouins of the Haurdn. [No. 2, 



on the ground and coffee which has been prepared for them is brought, 

 after drinking which they depart, each one to his house. On the 

 following day they re-assemble and return to the bridegroom, singing 

 and firing off their pieces. The bridegroom prepares a repast in honour 

 of the youths and after tbey have eaten and drank, they set to singing 

 and dancing throughout the rest of the day. After this, the bridegroom 

 is feasted in their houses for the space of seven days, breakfasting with 

 one, dining with another aud supping with a third until at the con- 

 clusion of the seven days the festival terminates. 



Hospitality. 



When a stranger approaches the tent of his host, its owner rises 

 and hastens to meet him, holds the bridle of his horse and assists him 

 to dismount and ties up the animal. Then with all expedition he brings 

 out his best carpets and spreads them in an apartment of the tent not 

 occupied by the women. A fire is quickly lighted and coffee is 

 brought and he prepares a coffee-pot and offers it first to his guest and 

 afterwards to any others present. After the coffee, some food is brought 

 for the guest and when the guest or guests have eaten, the relatives of 

 the host that may be present partake of the food that the guests have 

 left. Should they invite the host to join them, he refuses, saying, " the 

 host may not serve his own interests — be pleased to eat." "When all 

 present have eaten, the host comes and partakes of what food remains. 

 Meanwhile an animal will have been killed and after a little, the host 

 produces a dish of burghul and serves it on a platter of brass or 

 wood of not less than a yard in width, and slices the meat in pieces upon 

 the burghul and places upon the side of the platter the fat tail of the lamb 

 together with the leg, before the guest. This large piece of meat goes by 

 the name of Shazdt. Before the meat is served, some water is brought 

 that the guests may wash their hands, after which the meal is placed in 

 the middle and some cold clarified butter is brought and placed on 

 the top of the dish. The host then looks at his guest and says, 

 " Partake, stranger, of what has been provided," and he invites also those 

 of his relatives who are present, who come forward and sit round the 

 dish and begin to catch up portions in their palms ; that is, they take 

 a handful and shape it into a ball, fashioned somewhat oblong and 

 placing the thumb below it, put it into their mouths and pressing it 

 with the tongue, swallow it without the slightest chewing or mastication. 

 Some of these balls occasionally equal a weight of sixty dirhams. 

 When those present at the meal are so many that they cannot find room 

 to sit at the dish together, they wait till a place is vacant, and as one 

 vacates a seat, another takes his place and so on until all have eaten. 



