As-Samer is the traditional folk music and dance commonly performed at wedding ceremonies in Jordan mostly done by young to older individuals, with children encouraged to take part during the performance.
This ancient art is a treasure of Jordan. It has been performed in various cities throughout the country. As the Bedouins of Sinai practiced simple forms of artistic expression that reflected their customs and traditions in clothing and music, as well as dances such as the "Samer Sinawi", they established a unique way of life.
Samer sinawi is associated with the customs of the people of Sinai. It is practiced during celebrations, such as marriages, births, holidays, or when members of a tribe have achieved a victory. It uses several different forms of poetry, associated with various forms of collective dances.
There are multiple parts to the dance, the first of which is 'El-Riz'ah' or 'El-Razi', in which the men stand at a distance away from a tent while the women enter. The men form two opposite rows, each with a poet in the middle, and clap their hands slowly together with the women, who sit and chant over and over again words such as 'dahia.
In the second part of the play, called El-Hashi, a woman wearing a black shawl, holding a stick in her hand and waving it, enters the scene and walks between the two rows pointing at the poets with the stick.
A third step, called 'El-Dahia,' is where the music and rhythm of the dance pick up. The two poets on opposing sides begin a debate and share poetry verses for the approval of the hashi, who stands in front of the better poet. Everyone claps in hopes of winning the approval of the hashi, who stands in front of the better poet.
Later in the dance, the men chant loudly to gain the interest of more women, and the rhythm of the dancing and singing again begins to pick up in speed. El-Marbouah is the last phase in which more women join. The lines uttered during the performance are integral parts of the tradition and express feelings of joy, peace, intimacy, and empathy among attendees.
In 1979, the Arish Folklore Troupe was founded by people interested in preserving Sinai's customs and traditions. In order to transmit the skills and knowledge related to As-Samer, people of all ages are encouraged to participate spontaneously, consolidating social bonds and promoting cohesion until today.