Resources

This book allows the readers the opportunity to know about the cultural aspects related to religions, mainly in Lebanon and the Near East, their meaning and their aim. This knowledge will help the reader, firstly, to grasp the meaning of these various aspects, whether they concern him directly or the people who live in the same country, with whom he shares common space and living. Secondly, the book contributes to the Lebanese understanding one another’s behaviors and their own behavior concerning these aspects. Therefore, the book also contributes to the Lebanese looking at one another with more trust before starting to criticize. This book includes chapters that cover most of the different cultural aspects in Christian and Islamic religions. The first chapter deals with time, passing through each month of the year and its days, in a chronological manner. The second chapter delves into religious occasions in the Christian then Islamic religions. It explains the meaning of Holidays and remembrances of God and their particular aspects as well as the religious reasons of each. This chapter includes a part about al-‘awliya’ and Saints who are mentioned in some of the Lebanese daily rituals. Chapter three delves into the individual’s life stages from birth to religious vows, to marriage and death. The aspects that go with these stages constitute an important part in the life of the Lebanese. This chapter details the aspects and traditions of all these stages in which people take part, thus creating a common ground in a multi-religious society. Chapter four deals with religious practices, acts of worship, and legal prescriptions. It describes them and deals with their spiritual meaning to individuals who express their faith when practicing them. Prayer, Mass, and Pilgrimage, among others, are religious practices that are detailed in a way to make the reader understand what they mean to those who perform them. Chapter five leads us into religious places and their meaning, from churches to mosques and monasteries, khalwat and husayniyyat, all of which have different and divergent meanings to visitors. Yet, they all show the importance given by man to the place when expressing his faith and his relation with the Creator. Chapter six takes us to religious habits and customs, such as the clothes worn by religious dignitaries, their symbolism and meaning. It also deals with some general habits and customs. The reader may find that some chapters overlap. In fact, we have tried to make each part related to the others yet independent from them. This method facilitates the reading and understanding of any subject on its own without the need to refer to prior or subsequent parts. Finally, those who had any – minor or major – contribution in this book – despite the lacks that some readers might see – hope that they have offered a useful work in the process of discovering others who are different and who hold rich traditions as well human and spiritual values.