The country has reached a high level of cultural achievement in the arts, with a popular form of poetry being zajal, where poets enter into a witty dialogue of improvised verse.
The national dance is the dabke, which is performed throughout the country by dancers wearing traditional Lebanese mountain costume. The theme of the dance relates to village life. Local crafts include glass-making, weaving, pottery, embroidery and brass and copper work.
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CLIMATE :
Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate -- hot and dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The sun shines 300 days a year. The annual rainfall on the coastal plain is around 35in, and more than 50in in the mountains. Humidity is high along the coast in summer and daytime temperatures average 30°C with night temperatures not much lower.
Beirut in summer becomes a commuter society as families move to the mountains to enjoy the cool dry climate. Winters on the coast can be dry and mild one day and wet and chilly the next.
Winter daytime temperatures average 15°C. In the mountains summer daytime temperatures average 26°C and the nights are pleasantly cool. Winters are cold and it snows at the higher elevations. The snow ensures good skiing from December through April.
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