Even though I have been staying in his building for a quite number of years, I could never visit my house owner’s residence in the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid despite his repeated invitation during festivals. The reason is simple — the fear of travelling, that too, a long distance of more than 200 km.
But this time Rashid and his family did not give in before my excuses. He himself drove to the capital to ensure the presence of my family as well in the Eid al Fitr celebrations in Wadi Bani Khalid in Al Sharqiyah and famous for its natural beauty.
So it happened that we could spend a day in the midst of one Oman’s wettest wadis.
No doubt, the wilayat is an oasis where plantations spread out across the fertile floor. The village covers a large swathe of low land and mountains. At the spring-fed natural pools, mini waterfalls tumble down limestone crags to the pools.
The well-known hospitality of Omanis was evident at Rashid’s house.
When we entered his home, we could feel a great camaraderie as members of his family from different parts of the Sultanate assembled at this ancestral house to celebrate Eid.
“Of course, Eid is the biggest celebration for us. We get an opportunity to see all our family together on this auspicious occasion. That is why I eagerly wait for the Ramadhan month and this day every year,” said Rashid.
He said most of his family members were present including his four brothers, three sisters, their spouses and children apart from other kin.
The air was filled with the scents of frankincense and cardamom.This was accompanied by the distinctive Omani kahwa (coffee), local dates, and the gelatinous sweet known as Omani halwa.
The first custom making up the triumvirate of Omani traditions that give the Sultanate its strong reputation for hospitality is a cardamom flavoured kahwa. It is often strong, bitter and black, spiced with intensely aromatic cardamom.
“The custom of offering kahwa can actually be traced back centuries to its roots as an important Bedouin and Arabic hospitality ritual” said Rashid.
Small plastic pots of coffee can often be seen in even shops and waiting areas of hotels, with customers free to pour themselves a drink.
Over the centuries, the peoples of the Gulf countries have intermingled, blending their cultures and traditions. Yet they have maintained their own distinct foods, traditional dishes and flavours, he said.
We found everyone at Rashid’s house chipping in to make delicacies for the lunch.
“Of course, this is how this becomes a family celebration. No one sits idle”, he said.
Harees, Mishkak, Shuwa along with a variety of other dishes — from the traditional breads to rice — were all present for the mind blowing lunch.
“We cooked the food together and nourished it together. This is the bondage among us. Eid, apart from the virtues it gives, also provides us an opportunity to reminisce the days we spent our childhood in our village,” said Hameed, the youngest brother of Rashid.
Omani hospitality is world renowned. And our experience at Rashid’s house is just an example of a kind of hospitality in the country that has been with its people since the beginning of time and the founding of the nation.
Even today in the modern world, with fear, doubt and mistrust found all around, visitors will find the area’s population to be warm and welcoming, traits passed down from generation to generation.
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