Female tech giants, record-breaking athletes, poet prodigies and the makings of a Lebanese icon
This week, our lineup is brimming with larger-than-life personalities – a parade of icons, trailblazers, rising stars, as well as the Lebanese couples who refuse to let war or crises stop them from throwing a wedding worth talking about.
Happy reading!
The word 'icon' is thrown about a lot these days but how does a work of art achieve iconic status? It's a question I've been mulling over since reading this week's interview with Yasmine Chemali, the curator of the Sursock Museum's new permanent exhibition 'Becoming Iconic.' Read here.
As a teenager, I could barely make sense of someone else's poetry, let alone craft my own. At just 18, Georges Éter is already a published writer, award-winning poet, athlete, and musician. In an express interview, this remarkable young artist discusses how he channeled his teenage angst into his debut poetry collection with impressive sophistication.
Another exceptional young talent is 22-year-old sprinter March-Anthonny Ibrahim from Hadath, in Beirut's southern suburbs, who began sprinting professionally in 2021. After breaking a national record last week, he now has his sights set on the Olympic Games.
From Akkar to Harvard to Silicon Valley and now to the pages of Forbes, May Habib's journey is nothing short of remarkable. As the driving force behind her AI platform, Writer, she is blazing a trail in a largely male-dominated industry.
Calling all hopeless romantics: Wedding season is upon us! Few take this time of year more seriously than the Lebanese. But how have wedding festivities been affected by crises and war? And how much are people are paying to get hitched in Lebanon these days?
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L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Donkey race, fruit festivals and saints' days: Lebanese summer traditions you won't want to miss
As the heat settles over Lebanon's hills and valleys, village squares fill with music, laughter and the scent of home-cooked food. Summer here is more than just a season; it's a return to roots. Families gather from cities and abroad, and old traditions come alive once again in festivals tied to land, faith and memory. The traditions support small economies, encourage the Lebanese diaspora to come home and keep long-standing traditions alive. Here's how Lebanese villages are keeping these customs alive: Cherry Picking in Hammana Each June, the mountain village of Hammana (Baabda district) paints itself in red, black and gold as local cherry trees bloom. Known for the fruit, people from all across the country flock to the town's annual Cherry Festival. The event celebrates the harvest with a full day of cherry picking, musical performances and cultural exhibitions alongside stalls overflowing with fresh cherries, jams, desserts, juices and more. Local artisans display handicrafts, while children enjoy activities and families take part in folk dances and live music. Visitors have the opportunity to pick cherries directly from the orchards, with some tours including hiking and discovering the cultural heritage of Hammana. The Donkey Race in Roum In the village of Roum, nestled in Jezzine's green mountains, a peculiar and cherished tradition made its comeback after more than 10 years: The Donkey Race. 'After 10 years of not hosting the race due to internal crises within the municipality, including over three years without a municipal head, we tried to revive it as part of my promises as a candidate,' Johnny Haddad, head of the Municipality of Roum, told L'Orient Today. 'The race is part of Roum Festivals, which traditionally took place every summer." The festival begins on its first day with the agricultural fair, showcasing the village's local products — from clay and grapes to olive oil and olives. The opening also includes plays for children and various activities spread over three days. The event usually brings locals from several southern districts, including Jezzine, Saida, Nabatieh and even from Beirut. Donkeys in colorful ribbons line up for a 220-meter sprint down the village square, accompanied by 12 horsemen and a cheering crowd. The donkeys usually have playful names like Neswanje (womanizer), Shayef Halo (showoff), Mkarkab (clumsy), Jahlen (in love in his old age), and Ghannoujet Bayya (daddy's girl). "After the race, the attendees gathered for a traditional wedding night performance by local artists Charbel Haddad and Jessy Jarjoura," Haddad said. The Fig Festival in Majdal al-Meoush Perched in the Chouf district, the village of Majdal al-Meoush is so famous for its figs that sellers across Lebanon often call their own produce 'Meoush figs' to lure customers. Every summer, the village hosts a fig festival where 'all farmers in the region are invited to share their produce,' Georgina Merhej, an employee at the municipality, told L'Orient Today. 'The figs in Majdal al-Meoush are special and known for their quality.' The event, supported by the municipality, transforms the village into a local market and cultural gathering space. Vendors line the streets and public squares with tables full of homemade fig-based products — from jams and dried figs to cakes, juices, and traditional Chouf dishes made with local ingredients. Local women offer home-cooked meals and desserts, while others sell handmade crafts and mouneh, giving the event a distinctly communal and self-sustaining character. Throughout the day, visitors walk through the market, talk with farmers and taste samples of what the region has to offer. In the evenings, the focus shifts to the village square. Locals bring out instruments and spontaneous music breaks out. Saints' Festivals in the Bekaa Across Lebanon's Christian villages, especially in the Bekaa Valley, summer is marked by religious celebrations that bring together food, prayer and entire communities. These saint festivals often coincide with feast days and revolve around local churches, attracting people from nearby towns as well as Lebanese living abroad who make a point of returning to celebrate. Eid al-Saydeh (Saint Mary Festival) is one of the country's most important annual gatherings. Locals gather around the church to cook and serve hrisseh — a traditional wheat-and-meat dish — free to all attendees. In Rashaya, the festival has a rural and homemade feel. Michel Daoud, a local who regularly attends, described the traditions: 'For Eid al-Saydeh, people bring homemade sweets, cakes, stuffed grape leaves, rice with chicken, tabbouleh, kebabs — all traditional food made at home. They sell it to support the church.' He added, 'Grapes and figs are always offered to guests. It's part of our hospitality.' In Deir al-Ahmar (Baalbeck district), the celebration is a neighborhood affair. 'In front of every house, you'll find food and drinks offered to visitors,' Daoud explained to L'Orient Today. 'It's like one big open street festival in Christian areas.' Further south, in Kfar Meshki (Rashaya district), the Mar Elias Festival on July 21 includes religious processions, children's games, music and food stands selling traditional preserves and church-related items. In Beit Lahya (Rashaya district), the celebration features a traditional rural dinner with saj bread, fresh juices, dabke dancing and prayers. In September, the Elevation of the Cross draws crowds to streets lined with stands offering marshmallows, grilled corn, onions, and cotton candy in front of homes and churches. Beyond their religious significance, these festivals play an important economic role. 'It's a way to support the local economy,' said Daoud. 'A lot of people sell their homemade products, and you see Lebanese from all backgrounds coming together, not only Christians.' He noted that even locals who run shops selling clothes or accessories set up kiosks during the festivals. 'It's a very local, rural way of marketing their businesses.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Female tech giants, record-breaking athletes, poet prodigies and the makings of a Lebanese icon
As the stifling heatwave in Lebanon persists, my survival guide for the weekend consists of staying indoors, finding a shady nook and dedicating the time to big reads rather than physical exertion. This week, our lineup is brimming with larger-than-life personalities – a parade of icons, trailblazers, rising stars, as well as the Lebanese couples who refuse to let war or crises stop them from throwing a wedding worth talking about. Happy reading! The word 'icon' is thrown about a lot these days but how does a work of art achieve iconic status? It's a question I've been mulling over since reading this week's interview with Yasmine Chemali, the curator of the Sursock Museum's new permanent exhibition 'Becoming Iconic.' Read here. As a teenager, I could barely make sense of someone else's poetry, let alone craft my own. At just 18, Georges Éter is already a published writer, award-winning poet, athlete, and musician. In an express interview, this remarkable young artist discusses how he channeled his teenage angst into his debut poetry collection with impressive sophistication. Another exceptional young talent is 22-year-old sprinter March-Anthonny Ibrahim from Hadath, in Beirut's southern suburbs, who began sprinting professionally in 2021. After breaking a national record last week, he now has his sights set on the Olympic Games. From Akkar to Harvard to Silicon Valley and now to the pages of Forbes, May Habib's journey is nothing short of remarkable. As the driving force behind her AI platform, Writer, she is blazing a trail in a largely male-dominated industry. Calling all hopeless romantics: Wedding season is upon us! Few take this time of year more seriously than the Lebanese. But how have wedding festivities been affected by crises and war? And how much are people are paying to get hitched in Lebanon these days?
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Renowned interior designer Jean-Louis Mainguy dead at 71
The renowned Franco-Lebanese interior designer and scenographer Jean-Louis Mainguy passed away at the age of 71, the Union of French People Abroad (UFE), of which he was also honorary president, announced Friday. In a statement, the UFE paid tribute to the memory of an "exceptional, visionary, innovative, generous and humane president," who left "his unique mark on the French and Franco-Lebanese landscape ... His memory will remain forever in our hearts." The man of many hats, born in Beirut in 1953, founded "Jean-Louis Mainguy interior architecture" in the 1980s after graduating from ALBA (the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts). Over time, he moved into scenography, whether in theater or even cinema. "Creating apartments, villas, banks, offices, and then, for his own pleasure, opening parenthetical moments, brief, for lack of time," he told L'Orient-Le Jour in 2001. In film, he collaborated with Maroun Baghdadi for his film "Little Wars," and in scenography, he worked on "June and the Apostates" by Nadia Tueni. In 2021, he curated the exhibition "Wounded Art" at the Audi Foundation, which featured "works of art (paintings and sculptures) from private collections that were damaged" by the explosion at Beirut Port on Aug. 4, 2020. Jean-Louis Mainguy was decorated Knight of Justice in perpetual vows of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (religious monk of the order since 2011). He served as director of the School of Decorative Arts and the School of Interior Architecture and Spatial Design at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts – University of Balamand – as well as vice president of the Union of French People Abroad Worldwide (France). A member of the Ayadina association and the Association for the Protection of Sites and Old Dwellings in Lebanon (Apsad), he sat on the executive committee of the Beiteddine Festival and the committee of the Baalbeck Festival. "All those who had the privilege of knowing him are witnesses not only to his genius but also to his ethics and deep humanity," the UFE statement said.
