Ramadan Tent Night

Here we are getting ready to leave for the party.

... and at the party, you can see the colorful tent over our heads. From left to right is Annie, Donna, Autumn, Celeste, Verna, Me, Paris, Betsy and Leah. There were 30 AWA (American Women's Association) Girls at the Party.

Henna

The girls all got henna for the Ramadan Tent Night. This is my hand and my foot. It lasts about two weeks and I think it is pretty cool, it kinda smells funny, though...

The Boys

Todd and Autumn getting the kids involved in a game of don't let the ball touch you...

The Manama Souq

The way to enter the souq, which is kinda all over and up and down tiny little streets in Manama.

Looking down one of those such streets..

The Dress Code

The Jellabiaya (what we all were buying for our Ramadan Tent Party Sunday night)

The Jellabiya or Jelabiya, pronounced Gellabiya in Egypt, is a traditional Arab garment native to the Gulf region worn by women as a casual dress or as evening wear depending on the amount of work, complication of design beadwork. It dates back to early days of civilization in the Arabic countries of the Gulf. Jellabiyas are also created for men; however, these include a minimal amount of design and are usually just striped or plain in a variety of colors and are worn exclusively as night-wear or house clothes.

The Abaya (a store for Abayas in the souq)

The abaya is an overgarment worn by some women in Muslim-majority countries. It is the traditional form of hijab / Jilbab, or Islamic dress, for many countries of the Arabian peninsula. It is sometimes adopted in other parts of Islamic world. Traditional abayas are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long black caftan. The abaya should cover the whole body save face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to also wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered underneath the abaya.The abaya is an overgarment worn by some women in Muslim-majority countries. It is the traditional form of hijab / Jilbab, or Islamic dress, for many countries of the Arabian peninsula. It is sometimes adopted in other parts of Islamic world. Traditional abayas are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long black caftan. The abaya should cover the whole body save face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to also wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered underneath the abaya.

Behind the four of us you can see the men's robes, called Thawbs (pronounced thobe, like robe with a lisp)

A thawb (Arabic: ثوب, ṯawb), dishdasha ( دشداشة, dišdāšä), kandura ( كندورة, kandūrä) or khameez ( قميص, qamīṣ) is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe. It is typically worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula and some surrounding countries. It is normally made of cotton, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates.

The Souq

Spices at the souq. It smelled absolutely heavenly right here.

Fabric Shopping in the heat. Notice the fabric draped from one building to the next to provide shade. It is HOT!

The camel roundabout in Manama at the Hyatt Regency hotel, this is the same hotel that we are having our Ramadan Tent Party at in just a few nights. You can see the hotel on the far left, behind the camel is the entrance to the parking.