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Maha Nasser: Thursday's night in the East

A chronicle by Maha Nasser.
Maha Nasser
Växjö • Publicerad 23 juni 2020 • Uppdaterad 18 juli 2020
Detta är en personligt skriven text i Mosaik Vxonews. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna.

When I was ten years old, I heard the headmaster say, "Today is Thursday, Thursday, women must be happy." This sentence sparked my curiosity and wanted to know why. So, when I got home, I asked my mother why women should be happy on Thursday. She told me that Thursday is a shopping day and women like shopping. But when I grew up, I discovered that my mother had not told me the truth. Because she felt embarrassed to tell me that Thursday carries an intimate meaning in the minds of Arabs.

Thursday night, it has been a special place for Arabs since ancient times. Its name has been associated with love, fun and joy. It may come to mind that the reason for this is the pressure of work on the other days of the week, and Thursday is the day before the weekend, which is Friday and Saturday in most Islamic countries. Thus, everyone can have a good night and sleep late next day. But that is not the reason, because the days of other holidays do not have the same meaning as Thursday. Thursday's privacy has a historical, cultural and religious dimension for Arabs, and it is the day of love. Many Arabs prefer to hold weddings on Thursday, and this is common in all Arab countries. Because they consider Thursday a blessed and special day. As it is a very special and intimate day for married couples. On Thursday, a married woman prepares herself physically and spiritually. Souls and bodies are prepared for an intimate meeting as if it was the first time. Therefore, the types of food are prepared, and the homes are filled with scents and fragrant incense. The public baths, hairdressers, gifts, roses shops and others are crowded. As a woman prepares herself for this meeting, the man also prepares for this meeting. Therefore, barber shops are experiencing an unprecedented crowd. In addition to restaurants, hotels, parks and other places, this day constitutes the peak of economic activity in the Arab market.

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What does Thursday mean in Arab culture, is the weekend holiday, and the day of the absolute pleasure associated with the meeting of loved ones, convergence of the separated, recreation and the fulfillment of wishes. Everything is delightful on this day. Where people bear the days of the week in the pressures of work and study, but they wait with longing for this day. They save some money to celebrate and rejoice this night. This night is celebrated in a special atmosphere in homes. You can hear the music sounds flowing from every home. Some men may accompany their women for dinner at restaurants and enjoy their time outside, then return home to the culmination of this celebration with intimate meetings. But not all people can celebrate this day, only the loved ones can do that. Because it is a day of love as I mentioned earlier. Therefore, this day has always aroused sadness and sorrow in the hearts of singles who have no one to share joy with on this day. There are many poems, songs, movies, and novels that explain the feelings of people, embody the status and privacy of Thursday.

In addition to this day's privacy in Arab culture, Thursday holds religious holiness in all religions. As it is considered a blessing day for Muslims and it is recommended to fast on it. In Christianity also, there is the Holy Thursday preceding Easter, which is part of the Holy Week in the Western world. In the Eastern Church, Thursday is dedicated to St, Nicholas and the Apostles. In the United States of America, the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving Day. As for Judaism, Thursday is considered an auspicious day and it is desirable for fasting, and in its morning read psalms and biblical books.

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