It’s Wedding Season!
Not getting married? No problem, these songs will make you move
BY: Yara Jouzy/ Contributing Writer
Springtime is the most favored season for Arab American weddings. They love the season and all that come with it. Arab weddings are a lot of fun: great food, exciting Arab music, much dancing, and hundreds of guests dressed up with most fashionable clothing.
Since the music is one of the most important aspects of a wedding, then it’s very appropriate to focus in this article on the type of songs that every wedding must include.
The focus is on the music because it’s live and it brings the party to life; it gets the guests at the edge of their seat, on their tows, and of course, to the dance floor.
All guests are not only eager to dance, but also they make sure to dance with the newlyweds and their parents and siblings.
The music is usually played by a live band that can perform the Arab music on traditional instruments, such as the tabla (drum), oud (guitar), and kamanja (violin). However, most commonly now the key board is used too.
The Arab wedding songs are usually of the modern genre, but it also customary to start and end the party with the classical music of Um Kulthoum or Abdel Halim Hafez.
In addition to the live band, some weddings include the tabla players as the bride and groom enter the ballroom, or professional dabke dancers who perform on to recorded music.
Depending on the wedding and how traditional or modern they are chosen to be, music is always a must. Check out the songs that Arab Americans absolutely love to hear at weddings:
The music videos below were compiled by Arab American vocalist and musician Usama Baalbaki.
- “Weslo Al3ersan” – Fares Karam
- “Auros Alghuwali” – Melhem Zein
- “Zaffa Meylelo” – Hussien Al Salman
- “Ahla Zaffe” – Layal Abboud
- “Hatgawez” – Sa’d El Soghayar
- “Wetdallali” – Haitham Khalaily
- “Wadda3 El 3zoubiyi” – Mouhamad Iskandar
- “Ya Kel El Deni” – Joseph Attieh
- “Ya Emmi Zaleghti” – Elie Bitar
- “Beyoum ‘Ersek” – Magida El Roumi
