Egypt: Welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan

A traditional Ramadan Fanoos The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Monday, has a distinct flavour in Egypt, where the streets are decorated for the occasion. One blogger takes us to the heart of action and paints the festivities.

Egyptian blogger SaSa, quotes in
her blog Stories from the Past a report published on the Egyptian website Masrawy, which features a recently published story in Iran which describes how Egypt is prepared to welcome the holy month.

القاهرة- ذكر تقرير لوكالة الانباء الايرانية أن لرمضان في مصر طعم خاص نظرا لعادات متوراثة حافظت عليه الاسر المصرية لمئات السنين ويعود بعضها الي ايام الدولة الفاطيمة
فلايوجد شارع واحد في مصر حاليا يخلو من الزينات باستقبال الشهر الكريم ويقول
التقريرمع بداية شهر رمضان ينقلب حال الشارع المصري تماما..اطفال صغار يتسابقون
لوضع الزينات والاعلام بشوراعه في مسابقة سنوية بين الاطفال للوصول الي الشكل
الاجمل لشارعه ليكونوا حديث المارة

CAIRO – A report for the Iranian News Agency mentions that Ramadan has a different flavour in Egypt, particularly due to the inherited traditions that had been conserved and maintained by Egyptian families for hundreds of years, some dating back to the days of the Fatimids. You can barely find a single street in Egypt without decorations, welcoming the holy month. And by the start of the month, the Egyptian streets turn 180 degrees, with young children competing to have the most beautiful street in the area, with decorations and by hanging colored flags.

She continues:

كذلك لا يخلو شارع مصري من تجمع لبيع “الفوانيس ” وآخر لبيع مستلزمات الشهر الكريم الغذائية خاصة ما يعرف حاليا ب”شنطة رمضان ” وهي عبارة عن حقيبة تحوي مستلزمات غذائية ويشتريه الميسورون لتوزيعه علي الفقراء واصحاب الدخل المحدود في ظاهرة تتزايد سنويا لتكون مع موائد الرحمن خير تعبير عن التضامن بين ابناء الشعب المصري في ظل ظروف اقتصادية صعبة تمر بها الطبقات الفقيرة بمصر
وفي جولة بعدد من الشوارع لرصد مظاهر الاحتفال كانت البداية في منطقة “الجيزة” التجارية حيث انتشرت محلات بيع الفوانيس بكثرة وسط اقبال جماهيري
You will also rarely find a street without a shop selling Fawanees [traditional lanterns] or another for Ramadan food supplies, or what’s better known now as the Ramadan Bag. Such bags contain food necessities bought by the rich for distribution to the poor and low income people, in a trend that’s been annually increasing, to stand side by side with the Tables of Mercy [food feasts for the poor], which reflect solidarity between Egyptians, despite the difficult economic conditions experienced by poor classes in Egypt.
And in a tour through number of Egyptian streets to monitor the phenomenon, the starting point was in Giza, where the Fawanees shops were scattering all over, and with brisk sales.

She also mentions a new trend among couples in Egypt:

والجديد هذه الايام ان الفوانيس لم تعد قاصرة علي لهو الصغار بل امتدت الي الكبار ايضا حيث اصبحت عادة لدي الشباب الخطوبين، فكل خطيب يحرص علي شراء فانوس لخطيبته
كهدية لها وكنوع من انواع التفائل لاتمام زواجهم السعيد
And the new trend this year, is that the Fawanees are no longer preferred by young children only, but also extend to adults, where engaged couples are keen to present a Fanous (singular for Fawanees) for his/her fiancée, as a symbol of optimism to usher in a happy marriage.

Photocredit: Wikipedia

3 comments

  • […] comes but once a year, and Moroccan bloggers (like those in Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere) are gearing up for the month […]

  • rh

    us political prisoner Prof Arian finally released from the clutches of US “Criminal” justice system after some 6 years in solitary confinement along with being found not guilty. yay..

    In contrast Lt Calley the guy who supervised the killing of 500+ innocent Vietnamese villagers served 3 days in jail and a few months in home confinement till he was pardoned by President Nixon. Calley is an insurance agent in North Carolina living happily (Hint he is a white guy).

  • Very beautiful and really has the form of Ramadan, customs and traditions in Egypt wonderful

    Parts of God is better transport

    Regards sasa

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