Beirut, Once the Party Capital of the Middle East
How Lebanese people “party their pain away”
Lebanese people are notorious for their penchant for leisure and indulgence. Lebanon even got labeled by the global media as the party capital of the Middle East called everything from “Party City”, “Amusement Park”, “Nightlife Capital”, “Sex Life”, “Gay and Lesbian Capital” of the Arab world to “Sin city”.
After the horrors of the 15-year-long civil war (1975–1990), the traumatized society reacted unusually. People desperately tried to erase the past from their memories, restore their self-esteem and make up for the lost time.
Typically, those who lived have lived in destitution and under a constant threat to their lives try to rebuild their lives with extra caution and refrain from exaggerated pleasure. Lebanon was different. People jumped into extravagant consumerism and leisure and lived for the present as if there was no tomorrow.
Things have drastically changed now, as Lebanon is in one of the most acute crises on earth, where life has become a daily struggle for almost everybody. Partying remains a remedy to all the suffering.
