We traveled somewhat quickly through Saudi Arabia. It is, in our understanding, a very dark and spiritually oppressed nation. The culture completely revolves around Muslim beliefs. Even the flag which states in Arabic,” There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet”, and the sword which stands for the fact that they will fight to protect Islam. There were no cheerful stories or picture books in the book basket for this study, but a very sad sense of the lost ones who grow up in this culture. DD and R were very aware of the deception and remembered the scriptures and stories of the Bible that clearly contradict their beliefs.

We took time to review desserts and learned why camel’s feet don’t sink in the sand. We used a pencil with a quarter taped to the end as the camel’s leg and a bowl of salt for the dessert. We enjoyed an authentic Lebanese meal from a friend who grew up in Lebanon and her family. We had Fattouch (salad) Kibbeh (Layered meat and potato dish usually made with bulgar) and Kafta and potatoes.  The fellowship was especially sweet. She wrote out the children’s names and they practiced writing them on their own.

We finished up the Middle East by putting together a No-Ruz centerpiece from Iran. No Ruz is the new year celebration that marks the first day of spring. About a week or so before the celebration, families sprinkle wheat berries (seeds) into a bowl and watch them grow into a lush green centerpiece for the holiday. On the last day of No-Ruz families picnic near a stream, after which they toss the bowl of greenery into the running stream to symbolize throwing away unhappy times from the old year. We made a cheery display box using magazine pictures of colorful flowers, birds, and butterflies. It is indeed a cheerful reminder that winter is coming to a close and the warmth, color, and newness of spring and summer are sure to return.

No-Ruz Centerpiece

Our Cheery display box