Libano: Ramus Willka Urump Simana Santampi

Libano-n 2012 qasaw phaxs kimsaqalq ur saraqataruw pä tatitur arkirin wakichäwinakapax apasïna, kunatti Calendario gregoriano-r arkir ilisanakax willka ur paskw amtapxäna ukat Calendario Juliano-r arkir ilisanakax paskw uruchapxarakïna. Akax sañ muniwa kunati jutïr qasaw phaxsiw tunka phisqan ur saraqatar willka urux paskw amtasipkani. 2013-n achuq phaxs 31 ukat llamay phaxs 5 ur saraqatan pä paskwanakax jayankxaniwa.

Sietske, mä Libanes chachamp jaqichasit holandes warmix Pascua amtäwinakat qhanacht'i.:

There is the annual Easter lunch with the Easter Egg Hunt attached to it in the garden of the father of the wife of the brother of my husband. And everyone is coming, whether they're Christian or not, or whether it's their Easter or not (the Orthodox celebrate Easter next Sunday). I have mentioned before that in Holland, that connection would qualify them as strangers. Here, it’s direct family. And the cousins of the wife of the brother of my husband come as well, and so do the wives of the brothers of the father of the wife of the brother of my husband. Still with me? And the parents of the wives of the brothers of the wife of the brother of my husband are there as well. In Lebanon they have names for family connections like that. In Holland you would never ever meet these people, save for an isolated wedding or funeral. Here I meet them every year. And the group is growing, as children get married, and so their extended family gets added. We were ranging from age 96 (3 were in their 90’s) to 4 months old; a bit like an Italian family. But I assume most people that live around the Mediterranean share these characteristics; large families, lots of celebrations and parties. And if you take into account that most Lebanese families have about half of their family members living abroad (on my husband’s side alone – and he is from a very small family) there are already 3 uncles, an aunt, and 11 cousins living outside), you can imagine what kind of celebrations we’d have if everyone were to be in town.

Sapa maraw chachajan wila masinakapan utapan paskwa manq'äwix utji. Ukat taqiniw jutapxi, tatitur arkiripxpas janis jan ukax paskwäpans janisa (Alay willka uruw Ortodoxo-nakax Paskwa amtasipkani). Holanda-n uk jista kunati tantachäwix jupanakar anqäx markat jutirinakarjamaw uñjaspa. Ukat chachajan primo-nakapax jutasipkarakikiwa, ukjamarak nayampacha. Holanda-n jumax janipiniw akjam jaqinak jikxatkasmati, yaqhip yaqhachat jaqichasïwin jan ukax jaqi imäwinak ukjam jikthaptäwix utji. Akan sapa maraw jupanakamp nayax jikista. Ukat wawanak jaqichasxipan wila masinakax waljaniptasipkiwa; chiqans mä Italian phamilljamawa. Ukampirus niya taqi jan jach'a lamar qutaninakaw ukjam saräwinipxi; walja wila masinaka, ukat walja amtäwinakamp phunchhäwinakampi. Jichhax jumati Libanes phamillanakar yäqataxa, jupanakan niya chikat wila masinakapaw anqäx markan jakapxi. Anqäxan chachajanak kimsa tiyunakas mä tiyas ukat tunka mayan primunakas kunaw jikxatasipxi, taqiniti ayllunkapxaspaxa, amuyakism tantachäwinakas utjistaspawa.

Sietske's Easter family photo. Image from sietske-in-beiroet.blogspot.com.

Tarek Joseph Chemaly-x qilqt'iwa kunati k'awna thaqhäwix janiw Libanes saräwikiti:

In Lebanon we do not do egg hunts but rather «egg matches» whereby boiled eggs are struck against each other until the last standing egg is the winner… And damn cholesterol levels – because you have to eat them eventually right?

Libano-n jiwasax janiw k'awn thaqktanti jan ukasti «k'awna mayachthapïwiwa» ukan qhathit k'awnanakaw jupakam t'uxirasipxi ukat qhipha jilt'irï ukaw atipt'iri… Ukat qhipharux kunäpas ukanak manq'añamati.