GAZA, (PIC)
In a scene that appears contradictory at first glance, the sounds of ululations return to rise among neighborhoods where the traces of destruction are still clear in their details, and faint songs emanate from houses that have lost many of the basic necessities of life.
In the Gaza Strip, where pain is present in every corner, residents insist on clinging to moments of joy, even if they are simple and limited, as a form of resisting the harsh reality.
Joys have returned shyly in Gaza, as an indicator of life and a vital sign of a pulse that still flows in the body of the Strip, which is bloated with wounds and pain, but it is not a return as some imagine, for joy has not returned as it was, and even the rituals and ceremonies have changed radically and forcibly.
Joys with a new pattern
Weddings in Gaza are no longer as they were previously, as many halls were damaged or went out of service, and the rise in costs has made it difficult to organize traditional parties, and instead, home weddings or those held in small home halls have spread, with a reduction in the duration and manifestations of the celebration.
Amjad, 27, who is a displaced groom from the city of Rafah and currently lives in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, indicates that his wedding was postponed more than once due to the circumstances of the war and the subsequent harsh conditions, but he finally decided to hold his wedding in a modest way, far from his dreams.
Amjad told the PIC correspondent, “This was not what we dreamed of, neither I nor my wife, we were planning a big party, but in the end we said: the important thing is to start our life.. joy today is not a luxury, but a psychological need.”
The situation did not differ much for the groom Moamen, who held his wedding ceremony in what remained of his family’s house yard, without a wedding hall or expensive manifestations, only some plastic chairs, a simple loudspeaker, and folk songs, were enough to create an exceptional moment amidst a suffocating reality.
Mohammed summarizes the scene, during his conversation with the PIC correspondent by saying, “We do not own much, but we own the will to live.. and joy, even if it is simple, is part of this will.”
The bride Sajida, 24, said, “I was dreaming of a dress and a big party, but reality imposed different things on us, and despite that, I felt true happiness because everyone around me tried to make the day special.”
She pointed out, in a conversation with the PIC correspondent, that the neighbors participated in decorating the place and providing assistance, in a scene that reflects the spirit of social solidarity that emerges in times of crisis.
Weddings: A story of steadfastness despite difficulties
Umm Ahmad, the mother of the groom Amjad, believes that holding weddings at this time carries a deeper message than just celebration, and she said, “We do not celebrate because we are happy with everything, but because we want to say that life continues, our children have the right to be happy, even if the joy is incomplete.”
She revealed in her conversation with the PIC correspondent, that the family was forced to significantly reduce the number of invitees due to the narrowness of the place and economic conditions, stressing that “simplicity has become an obligatory choice, but it does not prevent joy.”
The difficulties are not limited to the logistical side, but extend to the high costs of even the simplest marriage requirements. From buying gold to preparing the home, which makes those about to get married face great challenges.
Abu Jihad, the father of the bride Sajida, said, “The cost of marriage has become a heavy burden, we were forced to dispense with many things, and even the dowry was reduced by agreement between the two families, as everyone realizes the situation, and there is a kind of understanding that did not exist previously.”
Joy is a psychological necessity
Specialists in psychology and sociology believe that the return of weddings in Gaza represents a natural response to the enormous pressures experienced by the residents.
Psychiatrist Samah Jabr says that the psychological suffering in Gaza is “enormous and unprecedented”, as a result of the volume of traumas and losses, pointing out that the entire society lives under the continuous influence of fear and loss.
In this context, Dr. Abdullah Al-Jamal explains that the psychological reality in the Strip is “tragic”, especially with the destruction of the psychological health infrastructure and the continuation of the war for long periods.
Specialists confirm that such conditions push individuals to search for any form of psychological balance, even if it is through simple social occasions.
Recent psychological reports indicate that constant exposure to trauma, displacement, and loss has led to a sharp rise in rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders in Gaza.
Here, weddings, even in their simplest forms, become a means of psychological discharge and rebuilding social bonds that were damaged by the war.
Specialists believe that these occasions give individuals “moments of temporary recovery”, helping them to continue facing reality.
World Health Organization estimates confirm that mental health needs in Gaza will continue for a long time, and that psychological recovery is an extended process that requires continuous support.
Despite all of the above, weddings in Gaza are not measured by the number of invitees nor by the luxury of the halls, but by the ability of people to snatch a moment of life from the heart of death, for here joy becomes a quiet act of resistance, and ululations become a message of defiance in the face of a reality that weighs heavily on everyone.
These weddings may be incomplete in their details, pale in their decoration, but they are complete in their deep human meaning, for in every groom who smiles despite the loss, and in every mother who ululates with tears in her eyes, there is a story of a people who refuse to give up their right to life.
While the crises continue, these short moments of joy remain a witness to a truth that cannot be broken, that the Palestinian in Gaza, no matter how hard the circumstances become, will continue to search for the light even if it is faint among the rubble.
