Lebanon Tourism, culture, music and events

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2015 By: Ghinwa Obeid Source: The Daily Star B Before you plan your trip there are a number of things that you need to have in order to ensure that you enjoy the day to the maximum. "You need pants, jackets, goggles and gloves, and then you need to have the skis, the ski boots and the poles," explained Riad Zgheib, a ski coach. All clothes should be waterproof and warm to protect against the cold, harsh weather on the mountains. Snowboarders need roughly the same clothes, but the equipment is different, especially the footwear. "The boots for snowboarding are softer; they're closer to hiking shoes," he said. "Ski boots are made of heavier plastic." This is because skiers run a high risk...

Date: Monday, January 12, 2015 By: Mazin Sidahmed Source: The Daily Star KFAR DEBIAN, Lebanon: The mountain town of Kfar Debian was abuzz over the weekend as ski slopes opened for the first time this season, and local businesses said they looked forward to a productive winter. The slopes were opened thanks to heavy snowfall as a result of "Zina," a storm that overwhelmed Lebanon this past week. Areas located more than 200 meters above sea level were pummeled with snow Friday, reaching up to 1.5 meters at the country's tallest peaks. The mayor of Kfar Debian, Wassim Samir Mhanna, was full of optimism, saying signs pointed to a strong touristic season ahead. "In terms of the first day, we can say that it was very good, in terms of ...

Wara El Bab" - The New Comedy Play of Georges Khabbaz - Starring :   Georges Khabbaz   - Talal El Jurdi - May Sahhab -   Laura Khabbaz   - Joseph Acaf - Wassim El Toum - Ghassan Attieh - Joseph Salame - Cynthia Karam - Boutros Farah & Omar Mikati - Starting 11 December , in Chateau Triano - Zalka Main Road - Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8.30 p.m. & Sunday 4.30 & 8.30 p.m.   For Reservation : Chateau Triano : 04/722245 - 03/249842 Every Day Starting Today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets price : 20,000 - 30,000 - 40,000 - 50,000 LBP www.tourism-lebanon.com

Date: Friday, January 09, 2015 By: Justin Salhani Source: The Daily Star BEIRUT: A few years back, word started to spread about a new hip part of Beirut. Gemmayzeh and Hamra had become overcrowded and the nation's party people were looking for the next "in" spot. Step forward, Mar Mikhael. Traditionally an industrial and residential area, Mar Mikhael began attracting major nightlife traffic around 2010, when a series of pubs and restaurants popped up. But it has evolved way beyond just a nightlife hub; Mar Mikhael has since carved a niche and manifested itself as a creative district, where services like pubs and restaurants are straddled by clothing and furniture stores, arts & crafts workshops, and a plethora of other design and ...

Christmas the Armenian way   Date: Tuesday, January 06, 2015 By: Justin Salhani   Source:   The Daily Star BEIRUT:   Lebanon   hasn't boxed up its Christmas decorations just yet, as the celebrations are just beginning for some. A large percentage of Lebanon's prominent Armenian community celebrates their version of the holy day Tuesday, Jan. 6. The sixth is   Epiphany   for most Christians, but Armenians use the day to celebrate a culmination of the season's events. For them, the sixth is Christmas, celebrating the nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem, but it also symbolizes Epiphany, when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Unlike the Orthodox and Protestants who follow the historic date of Armenian Christmas, the Armenian Catholics, however, follow the   Catholic Church   in Rome and celebrate on Dec. 25. "They go with the [Catholic] pope and with Rome,"   Zara Sirop Hagop   said with a slight chuckle. Hagop is one of the loca...

Date: Monday, January 05, 2015 By: Tanya Dernaika Source: The Daily Star There is nothing more frustrating than sitting in holiday traffic, but now that the congestion has eased up, I’ve got to admit, I’m sort of missing it. Admittedly, Beirut’s bumper- to-bumper traffic these last few weeks was a nightmare to say the least. It’s neither the wasted time advancing at a snail’s pace nor the dreadful road manners that I miss, but rather what the traffic represented and signified. I found the traffic heartening because I compared our busy roads to the empty and desolate streets during the same period last year, when the devastating bombings left our city and souls distressed. Congestion meant many Lebanese living abroad felt reassured enough to come home, and they wanted to visit ...