The olive tree (botanically, European Olive) is found mainly in the Mediterranean Basin from Portugal to the Levant. This spread is because of the rich red soil (Terra Rossa). In Palestine, the olive trees are mainly planted in the Central Highlands, rich with this red soil. Olive fruit has always been an essential ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine; the content of each fruit contains 20-30% oil. For example, Palestine’s most famous dish, Musakhan, could not be prepared by local women without olive oil.
The olive tree can reach a height between 3 and 12 meters; it has numerous branches with twisted and gnarled trunks and can live for 300-500 years and the oldest trees in the world can reach to 1500-2000 years. The olive tree in Palestine has essential economic, cultural, social, and national significance. It illustrates the Palestinian attachment to their land – olive trees resist the tough conditions of drought and poor soil conditions and remain attached to their place.
Many Palestinian families inherited olive trees over many generations, which parallels the protracted Palestinian history. Because of this, families gather every year in October, harvest the olive trees, and help each other in this process (“al Ouna” means help). They feel proud, bearing in mind their ancestors who were taking care of these trees before.
Olive fruit compromises the income of 80,000 Palestinian families. Almost half of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (48%) is planted with olive trees. 70% of food production in Palestine is accounted for by olive trees, and economically olive trees contribute to 14% of the Palestinian economy. Most olive harvesting (90%) is used for oil production, while the rest (10%) is used for olive soap and pickles.
People start to cultivate the olive tree as early as 3000 BC. For harvesting olive trees there are three traditional techniques:
The first technique is called al Bad. This consists of two stones, the horizontal stone known as the huge dish and the vertical stone that is placed above the other stone. A hole opening is made at the vertical stone, and a wood staff is placed inside to allow people or animals (donkey) to turn the stone to smash the olive fruits and turn them into a paste. Afterward, the paste is placed on a straw plate and then pressed by a heavy stone or mechanical pressing, where the olive juice pours out.
The second harvesting technique is called the overflowing oil (Zeit tfah), a simple method based on chemistry. This method is applied at the very end of the olive season (from the tree to the stone – من الشجر إلى الحجر ). First, the olive fruit is smashed by a big stone (Derdas). The act is called Dardaseh. After smashing the olive, the olive fruits are put in a hot pot, and hot water is added. Taking advantage that the density of olive (0.91-0.93 gram per cubic meter) is less than the density of water (0.99 g/m3), the oil flows above the water, and hence women use their hands only to grab the oil from the surface of the water.
The third method is called Al Baddudiyeh, was used before the olive picking season when farmers ran out of olives. Al Baddudieh means smashing the olives using a big stone. At first, to make it easier to crush, olive fruits are fired, then, later on, they are crushed in a hole. The paste produced out of this process is put in a straw plate then a heavy stone is placed on it to pour out the olive oil.
Olive trees encompass every aspect of daily Palestinian life. Zeit (oil) exists in every Palestinian family house stored in unique glass jars. For every Palestinian, the olive tree symbolizes permanence and resistance. It connects them back to their ancestors who worked daily on their land, taking care of it, just as a mother taking care of her children. And in the tiredness of the harvest season, they regain all their strength through the abundant amount of gathered olives.
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talking about mental health stuff again, and venting big time cw: alcoholism
spoiler
I am seriously trying doing my best to like, trying to be okay and feel better. But it is really really really really hard when it feels like a chain is being pulled on me from my dad. I tried telling myself, "okay maybe im feeling better and getting out of the woods". but then there just stuff with my dad. Since today was better, I drank a lot of water and ate food with a lot of calories and I didn't have to convince myself this time! unlike yesterday.I feel like I might be losing him again. It hurts, but maybe tomorrow he'll stop, I dunno, but that kind of been on and off, that maybe im losing him, but then he comes back, but then doesn't, but then does. But it's not just that, there some deeper pain. A deeper pain that kind of just been building up since for a very long time. It pulls me when I start to think "Okay, my dad drinking a lot lately. But I can handle that. Let just focus on taking care of my needs and getting back on my feet." but then, a deep pain comes out fast and loudly and makes me think of things that happened in the past. If I am able to move past some things that happened in the past, it is another thing memory of something, along with some strong negative feeling.
and it is like, it's like a tug of a chain that pulls when I try to get back on my feet and stand up. the quick and forceful tug of the chain as I fall down again, and then just dragged backwards a little bit. dragged a little bit every little time.
That what it feels like right now, in like. Trying not to fall into the deepest pits of things of where like, I just wanna scream and cry and scream and cry, to myself. That how strong some of those emotions feel like right now. I'm trying to take deep breaths and try to relax. While practicing these distress tolerance skills. Just... I probably wouldn't be feeling like this if my dad wasn't like, just drinking in the morning and getting fucked all day and night for the last few days. I know it's not wise to like base how I feel on how my dad is drinking, since I can't control that, but I can control how I feel. From what my therapist has mention.
Just I dunno how to describe this emotion I feel. But also, there also another type of pain. The pain of like, knowing, my dad doesn't want to be like this either, and that he doesn't want to have this effect on me either. That is it hard to say he is kind of hurting me. because it's not intentional. I had a similar feeling with my mom and I feel like an asshole. I feel like the worst person in the world for even daring to think that things my dad or my mom does hurts me. That even feels hard to say because I feel like a guilty piece of shit. It also doesn't feel true because what if I'm somehow lying to myself and somehow making it all up when I'm not.
I hate this. I think I'm gonna try meditating or something. I'm gonna see try to get my therapist appointment reschedule to maybe hopefully this week or next. Since I can't wait until next month. Just ah. ah ah ah. aaaah. I can do it, everything gonna be okay, if not now eventually. And I have to somehow make it okay.
I relate to this a lot, unfortunately. My mom was hospitalized over Thanksgiving last year for acute alcohol withdrawal and critical hyponatremia, promised she was done drinking forever, and within six months was back to having a glass (or five) of red wine most afternoons.
I don't know what to do about it, either, but I very much relate to that deep pain it causes. For me, it's a feeling like my whole inner being is a raw wound and every interaction and thought about it is sand and gravel.
If you ever want to have a heart to heart about alcoholic parents or just vent to someone who 10000% understands, I'm here.