Last night I had the honor of joining a close Saudi friend of mine at a family party, celebrating the children’s start of their summer vacation. When I arrived at my friend’s apartment at 7 p.m., I quickly realized how under-dressed I was compared to her ensemble. Her and her sister brought me into their bedroom and showed me a few options of clothing for me to change into. After a few changes, I settled on a cream lace-ruffled blouse with a tan dress coat to go over. They also chose a pearl necklace and bracelet for me. My friend came out from her parents’ room fanning the scent of smoke rising out from a small tin with burning coals inside into her hair. I had heard of this before—the burning of the Saudi Oud and the women absorbing the scent in their hair before parties or special occasions. She brought the tin over to me, and I nervously handed her my hair to hold over the smoldering coals of Oud. This was the finishing touch. We put our abayas and scarves over our heads, and we were ready to go.
By Michele
arabiaexperience 