By HAYAT AL-GHAMDI | ARAB NEWS
Published: Jul 30, 2010 22:40 Updated: Jul 31, 2010 00:03
ABHA: An exhibition of traditional womenâs clothing and fashion in the southern province of Asir was held as part of the ongoing summer festival in Abha recently.
The event showcased vivid designs and colors, the materials used to weave the clothes as well as the ornaments worn by women of the past in the region.
The show also gave visitors an opportunity to listen to womenâs folk music popular in the region decades ago, but which has now more or less vanished.
Participating in the event, 77-year-old Kamilah Maghawi said she preferred the lifestyle of more than half a century ago.
With a touch of nostalgia Maghawi spoke about her wedding and emphasized how different it was from receptions today.
Although she was full of praise for the past, she also expressed her admiration for todayâs modern utilities and the transport system.
Village women, most of them in their 60s, paraded in retro clothing on a womenâs-only stage.
Their clothes were embroidered using a rich array of colors. The women wore headbands and colorful girdles.
Some women carried water pitchers to demonstrate how they drew water from distant wells and carried it home when they were younger. Others showed how women of the past gathered and carried firewood from forests.
Another item on display was a baby cradle, made from a piece of long cloth and tied to the ends of a bed. A crooning mother would put her crying baby to sleep in the cradle.
Another woman in her fifties demonstrated how a crude grinder would operate.
âThe show depicts the tough life our ancestors lived. Yet the older generation is quite happy to go back to that lifestyle,â said former journalist Umm Kulthum Al-Hakami.
A number of girls demonstrated popular games of the olden times, such as one that involved picking up stones in a particular order.
âThe exhibition gives an idea of the cultural heritage of women in the region,â secretary general of the festival Abdullah Mataein told Arab News.
Mataein, who is also CEO of Asirâs tourist board, said women and girls of all ages presented the events. The exhibition also showcased traditional wedding customs of the region. There was a performance by women playing old musical instruments, which would often feature in wedding receptions of the past.
Exhibits also included a display of the different scented hairstyles brides used and the slow march of a bridal procession to a groomâs house.
Meanwhile, exhibition supervisor Fatima Yaqub said the Algerian Cultural Ministry has been conducting research on the close resemblance between the clothes worn by women of ancient southern Arabia and garments worn by Algerian women. ¬
