Hula

Hula, Lake, or Lake Huleh, Arabic Bahr al Hulah, near sea-level lake formed by a natural dam of basalt, NE Israel; the Jordan River exits from its southern end. In ancient times the lake was called the Waters of Merom. Between 1950 and 1958, c.12,350 acres (5,000 hectares) of the lake's swampy shore were drained. The land has been irrigated by the Jordan and is among the most fertile regions in Israel. Crops include grains, fruit, vegetables, and cotton; the lake is used for fishing. The area is rich in flora and fauna.

hula, traditional Hawaiian dance usually performed standing with symbolically descriptive arm and hand movements and gracefully sensual undulations of the hips; it is also done in a sitting position. Hawaiian myth ascribes hula's invention to Hi'iaka, sister of the volcano goddess Pele, and its safekeeping to the goddess Laka. Originally part of religious ceremonies, it was danced by groups of specially trained women who illustrated the various accompanying texts (mele), which were chanted by men. Instruments were limited to percussion-sharkskin drums, gourds, stone castanets, and bamboo rattles. Missionaries, who arrived in Hawaii in 1820, labeled the dance heathen and succeeded in having it banned. Nonetheless, it continued to be clandestinely taught and danced. Hula was again encouraged during the reign (1874-91) of David Kalakaua, Hawaii's last king; in this period it was expanded in text, song, movement, and costume. Although it was again subject to official disapproval after American annexation (1898), the hula was revived in a commercialized form in the 20th cent. Chant accompaniment yielded to music, drums and gourds to ukelele and guitar. The sensual swivel of the hips was accentuated, and the dance became a tourist staple and a feature of Hollywood productions. In the 1970s, however, a Hawaiian cultural renaissance revived interest in traditional hula.

Sinuous Polynesian dance that combines undulating movement of the hips and mimetic hand gestures, often performed to chants and instruments such as the ukulele. Originally a religious dance performed to praise the chiefs, the hula now tells a story or describe a place and are danced exclusively by women. The typical costume is a raffia skirt and a lei worn around the neck.

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Hula (Hule, Arabic: حولا) is a small village in southern Lebanon on the southern side of the Litani river near the Lebanese-Israeli borders. It is located 750 meters above the sea-level.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war an officer from the IDF carried out the Hula massacre in the village.

On August 7, 2006, an Israeli airstrike on Houla was falsely reported to have left 40 people dead, when in fact only 1 died. Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fuad Siniora told a group of Arab foreign ministers whom had gathered in Beirut for a meeting that "An hour ago, there was a horrific massacre in the village of Houla in which more than 40 martyrs were victims of deliberate bombing". Siniora later admitted he was wrong, and revised the death toll from 40 to 1.

Houla is a village in southern Lebanon. It was used as base for Arab fighters during 1948. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had reported 40 deaths after an Israeli airstrike in Houla. He had told Arab foreign ministers in Beirut that the attack "was a horrific massacre ... in which more than 40 martyrs were victims of deliberate bombing." Siniora claimed this incident as evidence that Israel did have "the intention to kill" civilians. However, it was later more accurately discovered that there had only been 1 death in the airstrike. In addition, it should be noted that under the Geneva Conventions, combatants are forbidden to use civilians as human shields, but if they do so, the presence of civilians does not render an area off-limits to military strikes. In the case of Houla, the Israel Defense Forces explained that they had been warning civilian residents of Houla to leave their homes by dropping leaflets for two weeks prior to striking Hezbollah forces in the area. The Lebanese Prime Minister admitted to the revised death toll, but did not apologize for his miscalculation or previous statement. "The massacre in Houla, it turned out that there was one person killed," Siniora said. "...Thank God they have been saved."

External links

• Some photos from Hula
• Houla Village Website (Arabic)
• CNN report