Wedding Song: Memoirs of an Iranian Jewish Woman

Glossary

GLO SSARY aftabeh: water jug agha: sir, Mr., also a common name for father ameh: paternal aunt aragh: an alcoholic drink aroosak: a little bride, a doll baba: father bakht: luck, fortune bamieh: confectionary bandandaz: a woman who removes body hair baseh: enough bebakhshid: please forgive me befarmaid: a polite way of proffering beoft: fall besalamati: to your health biaboon: desert bolbol: nightingale boro: go bozorg: great, big brakha: prayer (Hebrew) brit-milah: the circumcision ritual (Hebrew) chador: a full body covering choobak: a shrub whose bark was used as soap daee: maternal uncle dard: pain dard-e-del: talking of the ache in one’s heart dayan: judge, spiritual leader (Hebrew) del: heart doft: daughter (Judi) farangee: foreigner galoo: throat gele-zard: yellow clay, soaked and used as hair conditioner [ ] gha’edeh: a woman’s period ghaltak: a cylindrical stone for packing earthen roofs ghalyan: waterpipe, hookah ghalyoon: waterpipe in the dialect of Shiraz gherti: a show off ghorbat: being away from home goh: excrement gom: lost gomsho or gom sho: get lost halwa: sweets hamam: bath, public baths hamami: a bath keeper hejab: veil, modesty hejleh: wedding canopy holoo: peach jaan: dear javeed: long live jendeh: whore jihad: holy war jude-koshi: killing the Jews, pogrom Judi: Judeo-Persian, a language spoken only among Jews of Shiraz kaleh: head khaleh: maternal aunt Khan: a leader; Mr. khanom: lady, Mrs. khanom-bozorg: a great lady, a title we used for my grandmother khastegar: a suitor khastegaree: marriage proposal khatam: inlaid wood and ivory khebeen, khesheen: are you well? (Judi) khoda: God khodaye bozorg: the Great God khoshgel: beautiful khupa: wedding canopy (Hebrew) kiddush: prayer over wine (Hebrew) kilim: a pileless, woven tapestry rug kippa: prayer cup (Hebrew) kiseh: a square glove used as a washcloth kol isha: the voice of a woman (Hebrew) WEDDING SONG [ ] konar: pulverized leaves used to wash hair koofteh: large meatballs made with rice, herbs, and chopped beef mahaleh: a place, also a ghetto maman: mother mamno'ol khorooj: forbidden to leave manghal: brazier mashalah: what wonders God has fashioned, or may you be preserved from the evil eye matalak: dirty phrases mava: mother (Judi) mazal tov: congratulations, good luck (Hebrew) meeshee: become mikvah: a ritual bath (Hebrew) mola: a religious leader, Jewish or Moslem moshaverat: gathering of elders to make a decision naan: bread najeeb: chaste najes: dirty, often refers to more than physical uncleanness naneh: mother (Judi or old Persian) pa-do-ak: “running legs,” boys who run errands rafigh-baz: the game of having friends sabzee: greens, herbs salam: hello setar: a musical instrument shadee: happiness shagh: stiff shalomalekhem (shalom alekhem): may peace be with you (Hebrew) shamee: potato and chopped meat pancakes sharbat: a fruit drink shavua tov: a good week (Hebrew) shekhitah: ritual slaughtering (Hebrew) shema: refers to the Jewish people’s proclamation of their belief in a single God (Hebrew) shiva: the seven-day mourning period (Hebrew) shokhet: a kosher butcher (Hebrew) shytel: wig (Yiddish) siah: black sigheh: temporary marriage simkha: a happy event (Hebrew) Glossary [  ] sofreh: a cloth that is often spread on the floor underneath the food taarof: the custom of exchanging polite words and niceties taher: pure tamei: impure (Hebrew) tanoor: clay oven Tehilim: Psalms of comfort toman: Iranian currency tonbak: Iranian drum tsedakah: charity (Hebrew) vasoonak: a collection of wedding poetry often sung by Jewish women of Shiraz verag: one who talks too much veragi: talking too much zaben-deraz: one with a long tongue, one who talks back zaifeh: the weak one (female) zarbol-masal: Persian proverbs ziarat: pilgrimage WEDDING SONG [ ] ...