HX Report
Irishman in the Middle East
The Wedding of David & Myriam (2)
Posted on September 6, 2017
The Guests Arrive (1 of 2).
MB lodged himself just inside the church entrance under some foliage to protect his follically-challenged head from the warm August rays. He had arrived at the church grounds some 30 minutes before the wedding ceremony was to take place to capture the location and the guests as they arrived. Despite wearing an open-neck shirt, minus any tie, it was still perspiration weather due to Jbail’s summer humidity, a consequence of its juxtaposition next to the adjacent sea.
And so the guests arrive:
The Wedding of David & Myriam (1)
Posted on September 6, 2017
The Church.
MB mentioned in a recent post that he was again amongst the Lebanese for the wedding of a work colleague. The ceremony took place on Sunday last in the 900-year-old Christian Maronite Church of St Jean Marc in Byblos, in the modern-day town of Jbail, Jbail being situated on the Lebanese coastal highway approximately one hours drive north of Beirut. The beautiful old stone-cut church lies in the port area of the ancient habitation, next to the Crusader Castle which was built around the same time.
The church was constructed in the year 1115 AD, according to MB’s research, as the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, and is today dedicated to St John Mark, the patron saint of Jbail. It is thought that St JM was the founder of the first Christian community in the locality.
As a location for a wedding ceremony, perfect!
Foto Friday – Assaha Hotel, Beirut.
Posted on August 25, 2017
MB will head to Lebanon next weekend (the Islamic Eid Holiday weekend in the Middle East), where he is invited to a wedding in the ancient town of Byblos. Having seen the church and party venue online, it promises to be a great photo opp occasion for MB and his camera. Big thanks to work colleague DAM and his wife-to-be for the invitation.
The below photo is from the inside of Assaha Hotel, where MB spent the first night of his December 2016 previous Lebanon wedding trip. He received some special hospitality from local residents on the following morning on a local street when he went to buy a local phone sim card. But that’s a story for telling at another time.
Irish Wedding Dance
Posted on March 18, 2017
For MBs Lebanese friends in particular, who like their weddings!
Video taken from the Irish Post website:
International Women’s Day – Minus 1
Posted on March 7, 2017
MB screwed up the countdown to the International Women’s Day. Yesterday’s post read ‘Minus 3’ and today’s reads ‘Minus 1’. ‘Minus 2’ has never materialised and has disappeared into the fourth dimension or some such place where things that don’t exist reside.
For ‘Minus 1’ MB gives followers a shot of the bride at her wedding party from an August 2014 wedding that MB attended to Khartoum, Sudan.
A Lebanese Wedding – Faces & Fashion
Posted on January 16, 2017
Last post on the Lebanese Wedding! Read More
A Lebanese Wedding – Inside the church
Posted on January 12, 2017
MB has already given followers two deadly previous posts on his Lebanese wedding experience: A Lebanese Wedding and A Lebanese Wedding – Outside the Church. He now gives followers post Nr 3 – Inside the Church. Read More
A Lebanese Wedding – Outside the church
Posted on January 11, 2017
MB has already informed followers of his adventure to Lebanon just before new year for A Lebanese Wedding. The Lebanese public has gone totally bonkers over the story of MB’s trip, and the number of hits on his wedding post is now rivalling Adele’s numbers on YouTube. Seriously!
A Lebanese Wedding
Posted on January 1, 2017
If you want to go to a real wedding dear HX followers, MB suggests that you make friends with some younger Lebanese people and get yourself invited to one of their awesomely spectacular weddings! Read More
A Week Of Women – Day 2
Posted on March 15, 2015
The Henna Lady
MB went to a wedding in Sudan in August 2014. One of the many wedding parties that takes place as part of the overall wedding festival is the Henna party. There are two separate parties in truth – one henna party for the bride & one for the groom. Each party is like a wedding party in itself. Food, music, dancing and loads of family & friends in attendance.
At the end of the night when the music stops and the crowd drifts off, close family members and close friends remain on to receive a decorative henna tattoo on the hand (men) or hand and arm and a lot more elaborate for the ladies. The procedure involves placing some henna oil on the hand. A portion of henna mud is then held in the palm of the closed fist. Oil & strips of henna mud are then dressed over the knuckles as shown in the pic – where MB’s white Irish skin is visible. The lady who did MB’s henna was an aunt of the groom, and a superb job she did. Following day MB had and orange coloured tattoo which turned jet black over the following 48 hours.
Sudan – Wedding (more!)
Posted on September 18, 2014
First & foremost, let’s start with the band.
MB shot this short very blurry arty video to give you all a flavour of the music and crack at the wedding in Khartoum – where the Blue & White Nile rivers converge (zero relevance to the wedding or the music ladies – just geographical knowledge). Listen also for the high pitched shrieks from some the ladies present at approx 50 seconds – called ‘ullulation’. They are doing so to honour the bride or groom:
HX Report 
