Bahrain: Halfway There! · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

From Bahrain this week: a mid-Ramadan celebration, great happiness to be at university, a description of some dating practices, and a packet of rice that just doesn't make sense!
Ramadan traditions
We start this week with some special mid-Ramadan festivities, called Girgaoun. Shaima Al Watani explains what Girgaoun is:
Butterfly has posted a slideshow of the Girgaoun festivities in one area, which you can see here.
Picture credit: Butterfly
Another much more recent tradition is that of watching the special Ramadan serials on television – but Matchless is not impressed:
What’s going on the TV.
I am fed up with their programs.
SILLY?
STUPID?
FOOLISH?
RIDICULOUS?
Yes all of them in addition of the NONSENSICAL.
I wish that western people care about RAMADAN and try to produce something worth watching.
Dating rituals
Ammar describes a scene of great anthropological interest:
His lane of traffic was at a standstill, but it was normal on a weekend night such as this. He glanced at the cars cruising slowly past him on the opposite lane; the fancy Benz with its triple-digit plate, the beaten down 80's Cressida, the shiny Cadillac with the polished wheels. “What are they all doing here?” he thought, as the car in front of him etched a few inches forward.
[…]
The traffic light turned red, and the cars came to a stand-still. A golden Honda passed by, and stopped in the traffic right next to him, two pretty ladies adorning its interior. He glanced with the corner of his eye, and although he didn't make it too obvious, they knew he was looking at them. “This is ridiculous” he thought; he wants to communicate with them, exchange a few words, maybe a number, but it wasn't possible. In the ‘rules’ of this engagement, he has to drive around a few times up and down this road, find his prey, follow her to a dark alleyway or somewhere unfilled with people, and then make a move. That's just the way it was done here.
The light turned green, and as she moved her car he forced the gas pedal down turning the steering wheel, twisting the car through the traffic; it was a scene of tire smoke and a thundering engine, landing himself directly behind the two girls. They watched in amusement through their rear-view and giggled, not so innocently, as they pondered making their way through a side street. They decided to, eventually, and drove into a dark alley, with him on their tail.
He smiled. Something to ease the stress for tonight, at least.
Different path
Layal posts about a change in direction:
Happy!
Another student, Al 7urra has just started at the University of Bahrain:
A booklover disappointed
Butterfly has been to a well-known annual bookfair for the first time, but discovered she hasn't been missing anything:
Stupid rice
We end with Redbelt, who has noticed something strange on a packet of rice:
Picture credit: Redbelt
More from Bahrain next week…