…and we’ve come to the end of the challenge!!! One full month of blog posts, six days a week. (And if you’ve been paying attention, I’m still missing the post for ‘D’… ah well, one of these days I’ll finish it and it’ll show up in your RSS reader and you’ll be really confused.)

So what are we all doing to celebrate?

In the Arabic world, celebrations are loud, noisy, and joyful—and commonly full of women creating a particular sound called a zaghareet (also known as a ululation).

To create this noise, you start by saying “la la la”. (Try it!)

…good! And a little boring, right?.

So now, do the same thing, but make the sound a little bit higher pitched and a little bit louder, like you’re a kid trying to ignore her parents. I’ll wait. Promise!

…all right… better…

But now make it even louder, and as high pitched as possible, but cover your mouth first… you don’t want to spit on anyone!!!

…did you do it? And did you realize it sounded a little bit like Xena’s battle cry? The producers of the show took the zaghareet of celebration and used it for something completely different, but it’s basically the same sound.

If you’re still not sure what it’s supposed to sound like, here’s a quick little video of a dance class attempting it (they’ve almost got it! just a little higher pitched and they’ll have it!):

So, did you make it through the challenge? Or have anything else to celebrate?

Shock and surprise your friends and family, and join in women around the world in making this (unique and LOUD) sound of celebration!!!

Be honest… did you try it?