Page 10 - Date Palm_EA Book_English

social and cultural practices among Arab societies are not limited to the planting season but continue throughout all the stages of growing and caring for the date palm.
It is said there are successive seasons in the life of a date palm in which various social and cultural elements are manifested, such as:
• The pruning season, when the excess fronds at the base of the palm are cut.
• The sprouting season (pollination), when farmers rush to exchange their experience and the pollens best suited for the various types.
Cultivating date palms requires specialist skills because of the need for continuous care and the diversity of produce and items from the tree. This creates employment opportunities dependent on specialised train- ing and skills.
Harvesting the fruits is a special time during which everyone comes to- gether as a community in what is known as the yedad (harvest). During this season, families and neighbours form groups, with tasks assigned to each person. Men and women, young and old, all work together through the season to dry the dates in a process known as masateeh. Everyone joins in picking out and sorting the dates, then cleaning and storing them in large clay jars known as kharrs and khaabiyah, or in wicker baskets, known as tarrbouaah and mizzmah.
The social and cultural elements of the harvest even bring in families from coastal areas to the oases in Al Ain and Al Dhafra to spend the ma- geed, the hot summer season, there. In these oases, people can enjoy the cool shade of the date palms and spend time exchanging news and bonding with relatives, friends and the rest of the community.
Across the region, dates are among the best gifts you can offer some- one and are an expression of hospitality, friendship or kinship. In majalis, dates are offered as a means of honouring guests and are central to spe- cial occasions and celebrations.
Due to the importance of the date palm in society, it has been the subject of many tales, stories and myths, poems, proverbs and other types of traditional literature. One of the most common manifestations of the date palm tree’s status is a proverb in which a farmer gets up in the morn- ing and greets his farm, and then it returns the greeting. Another prov- erb says that when an owner dies, the date palm’s fronds hang down in mourning for him. Farm owners have even left their date palm trees to the community in their wills, so that people will continue to benefit from them.