Following Tsfat, we headed for our next stop: The Dalton Winery. This place was a disappointment. We were met by a woman who was nice enough, but she spoke too quietly, so most of us couldn’t hear her. Plus, we were all exhausted by this point, and had trouble focusing. Many in my group started talking to each other. I was not pleased with their lack of respect.
Following a short tour, we headed to the visitor’s center for a wine-tasting session. This was something we were all looking forward to, and most of us perked up! Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the wines. As anyone who’s ever gone drinking with me knows, I have very fickle tastes. Nonetheless, most of the people at my table agreed with me. One wine was downright bad–it needed more time in the barrel. Suffice it to say, I did not purchase anything in the gift shop.
After that disappointment, we got back on the bus for our final stop: A village called Kama. None of us knew what was there, and many were asking that we skip it and go home–we were beat! I don’t know what Destination Israel was thinking putting two physical activities in one day, then following it with a walk through a hilly city and some wine tasting. It’s a recipe for fatigue! Luckily, Sonya and Carmel noticed this, and decided to make our visit to Kama shorter than it would have otherwise been.
Mercifully, we had a one hour drive from the winery to Kama. I had a wonderful nap, and woke up refreshed; still tired, but not falling-asleep fatigue. It was just what I needed to get through the rest of the day.
We got off the bus in a beautiful courtyard of dark stones. After using the restrooms, we were escorted into a one-room building in far the corner of the courtyard, inside of which were chairs arranged like a theater.
We were introduced to a man who I believe went by the name of Jason. He was Circassian, a people I had never heard of. He had an accent that was a mix of Russian and Israeli. After an introduction, the lights dimmed and we watched a 15-30 minute movie about the Circassian people. I was fascinated, and a bit incredulous! These people were so different from other cultures that I felt like I was watching something made up! How could I have never heard of such a unique people before? Maybe if they were from a remote Brazillian tribe, sure, but eastern Europe?
The Circassians are like a sister people of the Jews: They, too had been kicked out of their land–though only 150 years ago, by the Russians–and have since had to assimilate into other societies around the world while trying to keep their own heritage alive. All the while, hoping to one day return to their homeland.
They’re located all around the world, and still have a large presence in Russia. I was impressed by an image shown during the movie of Putin walking past a Circassian guard! I couldn’t find the exact image online, but I found a different one showing the same thing! I guess their presence really is big in Russia. (I also guess saluting your conqueror is one was to stay in their good graces.)
The Circassian culture has a big emphasis on dance. They start learning it from the time they can walk. (Seriously, the movie had a 3 or 4 year old dancing like a pro.) Dancing is especially important when it comes to finding a husband or wife. To pick a mate, they don’t start with a date. Instead, they gather in a big dancing circle, with all of the single males strutting their stuff in the middle. The women then timidly dance into the circle one by one, and if they’re interested, they engage in a much more elaborate dance with the man. There are no words, only body language and eye contact.
I was enthralled! The style was so flamboyant, yet the method was so basic, like mating dances of the animal kingdom. It was a refreshing cultural distinction! If anyone feels that humans are somehow above or different from other animals, I encourage them to watch one of these routines.
Following the movie, we were treated to a live dancing demonstration! We moved the chairs to the periphery of the room, and a man and woman entered in traditional garb to show us a few dances. They started with a relatively slow tempo dance, to give us an idea of the basics. They carry themselves in such a way that their heads seem to float, while their arms make sweeping motions and their feet move like the hora on steriods. The first dance was followed by one with a much faster tempo, more typical of Circassians.
Following the demonstration, they picked some of us to try the dance! Oliver was picked along with Lilah and a couple others. (Picked to dance twice in one day? Oliver’s either got the best luck, or the worst!)
After a good time laughing at ourselves, we thanked our hosts and got back on the bus for a two hour ride back home.
Dalton aside, I couldn’t have been happier: The hike was great, rafting was a blast, Tsfat was magical, and I was introduced to a whole new culture!! Amazing.
Aaron In Israel 