Amman - When someone posts a picture, video, or even a phrase that speaks of the summer of old with its beautiful memories and simplicity, comments are launched that sing of nostalgia for the details of summer, its traditions, its harvest, and the songs of joy associated in the past with summer weddings.
اضافة اعلان
Although summer is a season of memories and family gatherings, closely linked to summer vacation when university and school students return and expatriates come back, people still hold celebrations during this time.
These celebrations were traditionally held in small houses, with tents erected in the meadows or courtyards.Summer arrives each year laden with beautiful anticipation, associated in people's minds with joy.
Regardless of a family's economic situation, they always find an opportunity to take advantage of the holiday and engage in summer activities. Memories of these activities still linger, like family trips, evening gatherings, traditional games, or the swing that mothers used to hang from the large tree in front of the house, sometimes providing entertainment for the neighborhood children.
Maher Shukri, upon seeing a post about old summer memories accompanied by a song reminiscing about that beautiful era, commented: "Those were the days, filled with simplicity, goodness, and blessings. The days of harvest and reaping, of gatherings, outings, and gatherings, when people would come together and cooperate with a spirit of love and solidarity. Intentions were pure, hearts were kind, and the details of daily life carried a warmth and joy that remains present in our memories to this day."
As for Abdul Karim Ayad, he expressed his longing and memories of the beautiful summer days of the 1980s, a period he lived through and whose memory and summer comfort, as he put it, still linger. He said: "When our grandparents pass away, many beautiful details, customs, and memories that formed part of our old lives pass with them."
Ayad added: "Although I didn't live through that time, I adore everything old, and I yearn for those days with their simplicity, warmth, and authenticity." May God have mercy on our grandparents and grant them paradise, and reward them for the unforgettable memories and values they left us.
The longing for childhood days and simplicity is striking, and summer memories are shared by people from all over the world. We find people commenting on summer memory posts from Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and the Gulf countries, as if the details are identical: the family rituals associated with summer, the same games, and the same feelings that everyone still speaks of with passion, love, and longing.
The details of harvesting, sitting at grandparents' house, the pre-sunset gatherings with the neighborhood girls, playing ball, village and neighborhood football tournaments, and many other details are the same everywhere, making summer memories a refuge for those seeking genuine nostalgia.
Ghada Saad says: "Our grandmothers used what was known as an icebox to preserve food before the advent of modern refrigerators. It consisted of two layers; the upper layer contained a metal tank filled with water and covered with half a block of ice to keep meat and other food from spoiling, thus acting as a freezer." I saw this box in our house; my mother kept it for years, a testament to the simplicity of life in the past and the ingenuity of our ancestors in preserving food and cooling water.
A life intertwined with the land and agriculture.
Tariq Anan reminisces about those summers, saying, "How we long for the old days! Just seeing old photos and places takes us back to childhood and simplicity, to those days filled with joy in the simplest details, and a warmth whose memories still linger in our hearts today."
Thus, summer in the Jordanian countryside and desert was not merely a season, but a time eagerly awaited by families, bringing with it sustenance, joy, and social occasions that formed an integral part of their national identity.
Amidst the wheat stalks, harvest songs, traditional gatherings, weddings, and the announcement of high school graduation results, Jordanians wove the details of a summer that remains vivid in their memories, despite the changes that have swept through life.
Naif Al-Nawaisah, an expert and chronicler of Jordanian heritage, explained to Al-Ghad that life in the countryside and desert was closely tied to the cycle of the seasons, each with its own seasons and rituals. However, summer was the most anticipated, bringing with it events and occasions that instilled joy and vitality in the community.
This season combines harvests, weddings, the release of high school and university results, the return of expatriates, and the welcoming of guests and visitors after the winter chill.
It also coincides with the ripening of fruits and vegetables and the filling of fields with wheat, barley, and other grains. These scenes directly impacted the psychological state of people whose lives were intertwined with the land, agriculture, and the seasons.
Al-Nawaisah points out that this connection was also reflected in folklore, as rural and Bedouin communities used to recite proverbs expressing their longing for summer, such as: "The heat of summer is better than the cold of winter," "How is summer?" and "The cold of summer is sharper than a sword."
Even at the height of winter, they yearned for warmth, saying: "February, whether it's cold or cold, brings the scent of summer," expressing their longing for the end of the harsh cold.
Despite this, the intense heat of some summer months remained in popular memory.
People described July by saying, "In July, the water boils in the jug," and they called August "the month of scorching heat," indicating its extreme sweltering. But this harshness did not diminish the importance of summer, which remained the season most associated with family gatherings, social events, harvesting, weddings, and celebrations of success and graduation.
Harvest... a season of work and song.
According to Al-Nawaisah, the end of May marked the beginning of preparations for the harvest season. Farmers would start monitoring their lentil, chickpea, and barley crops, especially in warmer regions like Al-Huzman. When the crops ripened, they would say, "The crop is ready," signaling the start of the harvest.
The wheat season, the most important for farmers, usually began at the start of July. Traditional tools such as the sickle, the adze, the threshing floor, and sacks were prepared for harvesting and storing the crop.
Harvesting was not merely agricultural work, but a social occasion accompanied by folk songs. Harvesters would sing chants like: "My sickle, oh Abu Razza, what brought you from Gaza? My sickle and its handle went to the goldsmith to be sharpened. He only sharpened it with a box; I wish the box were its cure!" and other songs that eased the hardship of the work and reinforced the spirit of cooperation.
Weddings... a joy that lasts for days.
With the harvest season complete, another equally important season begins: the wedding season. The farmer feels the fruits of his labor are complete and devotes himself to celebrating the marriages of his sons and daughters.
Al-Nawaisah describes the details of these occasions, which begin with the "Nassa," or raising the flag on the Bedouin tent or stone house, signaling the start of the wedding festivities.
These celebrations extend from Monday until Friday afternoon and include evening gatherings, singing, women's chants, henna for the bride, the groom's bath, the "Qitar" or "Farda," and the wedding procession, before concluding with a lunch feast and the presentation of gifts to the groom.
Al-Nawaisah adds that summer was also the season for announcing high school graduation results and university graduations, occasions that were met with great joy. Families would hold celebrations resembling weddings, expressing their pride in their children's transition to a new stage in their lives.
Among the most prominent features of summer, according to Al-Nawaisah, were the gatherings that extended late into the night in Bedouin tents and mud-brick houses. Family members and neighbors would gather, and the evenings would be punctuated by traditional games like "Sijja" and "Tab," as well as games for children and young people.
Poets playing the rabab (a traditional stringed instrument) would enliven the evenings at the request of elders who were deeply connected to this aspect of the heritage.
Women would also hold their own coffee gatherings during the summer, exchanging visits and social visits, which were less frequent in winter due to the cold.
Changes imposed by time:
Al-Nawaisah concludes his remarks by emphasizing that many of these customs still exist, but they have changed due to technological advancements. Modern harvesters have replaced harvesters, and tools like the sickle, the plow, the threshing floor, the winnowing fork, and animals have gradually disappeared. With them, the songs and rituals associated with the harvest have faded.
The traditional gatherings, coffeehouses, and folk games have also declined as a result of the proliferation of smartphones, changing lifestyles, and people's preoccupation with work.
Furthermore, many elders who preserved this heritage and passed it on to new generations are no longer present. Thus, the memories of old summers remain as a testament to a period that formed a significant part of the social and cultural identity of Jordanians.
