OUTNABOUTBAHRAIN.COM
Art and Music
Pottery
Pottery took quite an important role in Bahrainis' daily life, as before there were water coolers that gave you cold water or refridgerators Bahrainis' as well as many other Arabs kept their water cold through these pots.Mud and water is used to make the pottery with an artisean to control and mould the shape desired .A wheel is used to do so and the artisean shapes it with his hand and then keeps it outside to harden.
Weaving
Basket weaving was one of the oldest Bahraini's art forms.They used pine straw and threads t make their baskets.They also made the sofra, a dining mat kept on the floor when eating,eating on the floor was the traditional way to dine for Bahrainis,hand fans, as well as lates and much more...
Arabic calligraphy
Arabic calligraphy is famous for how artistic the words are written and used to make shapes ,design or even portraits.It is islamic art .The lines and tiny details are H'arakats which are similar to accents in French and they can change the meaning of some or most words.It is intensely connected to the muslims book of religion, the Q'uran, espicially the H'arakat as in the muslim's book of religion you cannot read the word without the h'arakat unless you reach the end of a verse or a stop.It is based on the way the words are pronounced plus written in the Q'uran.
Bahraini music
When singing and playing music, Arabs use a khaleeji style.Instrurments such as the oud, old plucked lute, and many different types of drums, for example the mirwas, the violin, the cymbals, the tambourine and the Rebaba, a one stringed lute.Sometimes pearl-divers sing when at sea as a form of entertainment folk songs.
Arabic henna
Arabic henna is wonderful for special occasions such as weddings,, Eid, and various celebration.In the olden times, Bahraini women wore henna not only as a way to make themselves look good with its simple designs but also because henna, normal not black, is made of herbs and natural products of the earth which are good for the body.As time passed by, the henna designs changed-before the women only kept a circle in the middle and henna on their nails...now women keep designs with flowers and dots and simple yet beautiful shapes and designs.
Bahraini clothes
Men would wear the thobe, which is basically white, long-sleeved and ankle-lengthed.Some men still wear it but others choose to wear other clothes which are usually western. Men also wear the ‘ghitra ‘and ‘I’qal and the ‘Quhfiyas’. Quhfiyas, white skull caps, are worn on the head first along with the ‘ghitra’ which is a white square-shaped cloth kept on the head with the sides folded and the ‘iq’al on top of it , to stop it from falling.’Iq’’als’ are black cords. Men also where another type of ‘ghitra’, which is also triangular-shaped but instead of being plain whit it is red-and-white-pattered and is also sometimes worn differently. These clothes are also traditional in other Arab countries for men. In some occasions such as wedding etc. but rarely worn, bisht’s, dark cloaks are worn on top of thobes. Women where thobe al anshil, which is red or maroon or colourful and it is a long sleeved ankle-high dress which is worn on special occasions such as national days tc. Women also wear caftans or head-dresses.
Sadly, most people think in a stereotypical way and assume that abayas are the traditional wear for woman.Abayas are known to be worn by woman from the gulf in general however this is just their casual wear to show modesty, maybe for some Arab countries it is the traditional wear for some women but not the ones from Bahrain. Children would also wear the same clothes as women however they would wear something which is known as a bukhnag which basically is a black translucent head scarf covered with gold embroided on the side. Girls sometimes wear gold and jewellery on their head and hands instead of bukhnags. Woman and girls also wear jalabyas.