Welcome to Ramadan 2

By Korea.net Honorary Reporters Majid Mushtaq, Wajid Mushtaq, Mahwish Khan, Esraa Elzeny, Salwa Elzeny, Loura Al Kurdi and Nur Jannah Zulkifli

Egypt has the fifth largest number of Muslims in the world. Here, you can read more about some of the best celebrations of Ramadan in the world.

The Mohamed Ali Mosque, inside the Citadel of Saladin, is in Cairo. (Memphis Tours)

With the advent of the month of Ramadan, the face of life in Egypt is changing: changing in different ways, decorating the streets and mosques, and celebrating the holy month, which has its own carnival. When you think of Ramadan, it conjures up visions of young children running around and singing old Ramadan songs in the crowded streets of Cairo, holding colorful lanterns alongside dried fruit carts. Ramadan special rituals appear across Egypt, like lanterns, or fanous, the Ramadan cannon, mesaharaty and some other dishes related to the holy month. 

Millions of Muslims wait for the holy month of Ramadan each year because of its lovely spiritual nature, and its unique nature, which includes many manifestations. They begin with preparations to celebrate it. These rituals are equal in many predominantly Muslim countries. The manifestations of the celebration expand during the holy month of Ramadan. They vary from country to country, according to each region's heritage, history, customs and traditions. In Egypt, some of these rituals and distinctive customs associated with this month, which is worth its own history spanning thousands of years, have moved to and from neighboring countries.

The rituals of Ramadan in Egypt start with the emergence of some of them in the month of Shaban. Shaban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. The streets are prepared, especially in popular areas, and turn into a carnival through the decorations. The streets are hung with ropes of colored electric lights, topped off by lanterns. Children from different neighborhoods compete in making them and these special rituals last throughout the holy month, from the first night until the last night.

Egyptian lanterns, or fanous

The fanous lanterns have become a worldwide symbol that represents the holy month. The lanterns of Ramadan are the first ritual of the holy month. They appear immediately after the announcement of the actual sighting of the moon, letting the observant Muslim know of its existence. Most of the children are keen to acquire the lanterns to celebrate the month. There is no  Egyptian home free of a Ramadan lantern. Shops compete in their displays of lanterns, with multi-carnival colors appearing, paintings a stark color.

The concept of the lanterns originated in ancient Egypt in A.D. 968 (A.H. 358) during the Fatimid Dynasty (A.D. 909-1171), when Caliphate Al-Muizz li-Din Allah arrived  on the first day of Ramadan. The people and children of Egypt went outside to greet him, holding their lanterns. Lantern were one of the basic things upon which the people of Cairo relied on for light at night. At that  time, lanterns were made of copper and a candle was placed inside. Later, the lantern was made of other materials, such as tin, colored glass and plastic. Children used to walk the streets and alleys carrying lanterns and demanding gifts of sweets, and continued this practice until a few years ago. The lantern is the symbol of the month, which does not change even though the shape of the lantern itself has changed more than hundreds of times since those times.

Come Ramadan, many age-old traditions in the Muslim world are revived. One such interesting tradition, especially in the Arab world, is the mesaharaty, or the night caller, who takes upon the task of walking around the neighborhood waking people for suhur, the light meal observant Muslims take before they begin the dawn-to-dusk fast.

The person holds a small drum and calls the people by their names to wake them up. In Egypt, there's an old story when the governor of Egypt noticed that people weren't paying attention to the time of suhur. So he volunteered for this task, to walk the streets of Cairo at night, to wake people at the time of suhur. 

The Ramadan cannon is an Egyptian ritual that announces the date of iftar and suhur. It has become one of the hallmarks of Ramadan. The governor of Egypt in ancient times decided to try a new gun, which was given to  him as a gift and, coincidentally, the first shot was launched at the exact time of sunset on the first Ramadan in A.D. 1455 (A.H. 859). The governor was surprised by the influx of tribal chieftains and people into Cairo who thanked him for firing the cannon at the exact time of iftar. They thought that he wanted to alert them as to the date of iftar. The cannon was then placed in "Ramadan mode" atop Mount Mokattam, the highest place around Cairo, so that residents could hear the sound of the cannon.

Celebrations in Egypt are associated with the types of food that express the joy of the people, and the month of Ramadan, with its status, is associated with many of these dishes. The most famous dishes are kannafah and qatayef. They are folklore foods on the table during Ramadan. At first, kanafa appeared as a food for the successors. The narrations indicate that the first person who gave him some kanafa was Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan during his reign in Greater Syria. It was food for <i>suhoor</i>. Then it became a custom associated with food in the month of Ramadan during the Ayyubid Dynasty (1171-1260), the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517), Ottoman Egypt (1517-1867) and modern times. As the food was for both the rich and the poor, it earned a lot of popular character. As for qatayef, it was known in the late Abbasid era (750-1517), and people were creative in cooking qatayef in a small kiln.

Here you can read more about one of the most beautiful countries during Ramadan. It's our beautiful friend Loura from Syria, who will take us on a journey around Syria during Ramadan.

The Great Ummayad Mosque is in Damascus. (Muslim Heritage)

The holy month of Ramadan is a special place for Syrians, as Syrian families both poor and rich prepare for it during these festive days. Ramadan is a unique opportunity for observant Muslims to be at one with their beliefs through fasting, prayer and spending more time reading the Quran. Houses are decorated with lanterns. The streets are full of lamps. Trade and markets are open late into the night. Family relations are restored during the holy month of Ramadan.

The month of Ramadan is the month of family reunions. It is a rare opportunity to reunite family members around one table to break the fast together. Relatives and neighbors exchange visits and food, and host each other for breaking the fast at their tables. People celebrate the holy month of Ramadan in their own way and are allocated large areas of TV broadcasting. There are many Syrian and Ramadan soap operas. In these periods, observant Muslims in Syria are keen to exchange visits in order to strengthen ties of kinship. 

In the holy month of Ramadan, observant Muslims are obligated to perform prayers and pray even though they may not be committed to the teachings of Islam throughout the rest of the year. The market is also equipped with goods to meet the needs of fasting people. The lanterns are hung on the streets and express respect and sanctity. As the passers-by pass to awaken the citizens to eat, charities and individuals distribute food to the poor. This holy month is held to feed the poor and those who come at the time of breaking the fast along the roads. All these manifestations of the spirit of cooperation prevail among the Syrian community during the holy month. Syria is a country of rich traditions, and Ramadan is a time of great joy and anticipation for observant Muslim families.

However, after six years of brutal conflict, this Ramadan will unfortunately be another difficult month for civilians who are struggling to survive. Before conflict-devastated Syria came about, families were able to gather together to share their traditional Syrian foods throughout Ramadan. They would break their fast at sunset with meals consisting of soup, lots of different salads, special Ramadan bread, varied meat dishes, fruits and traditional desserts.

Now, with so many killed and over half the population forced from their homes, many families have been broken apart. It is now quite hard for families to gather for Ramadan, but thanks to the internet, people can share everything they are doing. There hearts stay warm and they are together. However, this does not prevent people from gathering and going to the homes of nearby relatives. Even if they cannot go to their relatives, neighbors are like relatives in terms of goodness and generosity.

With many old habits, the majority of which are still practiced in the holy month, the atmosphere of Ramadan in Syria is quite charming, as everything is different this month. People take walks or drive in their own cars. These trips are all with family or groups of friends. The whole group of people also go on picnics with only canvas barriers between two or more trees so as not to prevent the enjoyment of the breeze and the air while the women are engaged in preparing food from pans and grills and so on. Men play cards, kick a soccer ball or go swimming.

Syrians call on the first 10 days of the month of Ramadan Maraq because the people are busy with the food of Ramadan and its varied meals. A typical Damascene family is interested in providing all types and colors of food, such as refreshments and raisins, as well as appetizers of all kinds, In addition to the lentil soup, the sweets are abundant in Ramadan. There's no table during Ramadan without kanafa, in addition to albaraziq , and the vendors of these refreshments spread around after breaking the fast each evening.

There's a kind of bread called nawaem. It's also made of desserts, which are related only to Ramadan. It's made from a liquid dough. The baker puts a sheet of copper over a soft fire so that the dough is frozen, then dipped in oil and sprinkled with molasses. Vendors walk around with cages through the alleys, and people buy the bread, so it's common to see them carrying their dishes home before prayers.

The 10th day of the month of Ramadan, Kharaq, is when people buy clothes and accessories. Syrian markets are crowded with shoppers. They open their doors until sunset and one can hardly distinguish between the night and the day on such days.

As for the final 10 days of the month of Ramadan, those are called Sur waraq. The women prepare desserts, especially ones stuffed with walnuts or pistachios.

Malaysia is one of the Asian Tigers, the nearest country to Korea here, and you can find many halal products there from Korea. Here, our amazing friend Nur Jannah tells us about celebrating Ramadan in Malaysia.

The Iron Mosque is in Putrajaya, Malaysia. (Escape Here)

Ramadan is the holy month for which all observant Muslims around the world wait every year. It's a special month among observant Muslims, during which they can send lots of prayers toward Allah and get rewards for the afterlife. All observant Muslims should fast, starting at dawn until sundown. They cannot eat or drink anything until the sun goes down. Also, observant Muslims must take care of their eyes and mouth, and not listen, see or speak anything negative during Ramadan.

In Malaysia, when it comes to Ramadan, many people start to prepare before dawn and for the prayer time. For the time before dawn, I cook traditional Malay food for my family.  We eat a lot of food and drink a lot of water as well during this time because we don't want to feel hungry or thirsty during the day. It's a bit tough for those who are fasting and working at the same time because some might get tired, but that cannot be an excuse as observant Muslims try to fast during Ramadan. 

At 4 p.m. in Malaysia, there will be a Bazaar Ramadan that sells lots of food for observant Muslims. I went to the bazaar with my friends and bought many traditional Malay snacks and drinks. Roasted lamb and roasted chicken are also some of the interesting menu items during Ramadan. Many people come to the bazaar to buy food with which they break the fast after fasting all day long.

When it comes to sundown, all observant Muslims start to eat right after the call to prayer. After that, Muslims in Malaysia will have a small dinner. This is done using the money from donations during Ramadan. As Ramadan is a holy month, Muslims will recite passages from the Quran all night long, depending on their own desire, because the more prayers you do, the more rewards you get from Allah.

Some companies also don't want to lose any opportunity to sell clothes. Hari Raya is the day that Muslims celebrate after fasting for a month. Many clothes for men, women and children are sold at the bazaar that day. All of the mosques, shopping malls and houses are decorated with beautiful lights and interior designs, just to show how special Ramadan is.

wisdom117@korea.kr

Share this post