Ramadan in Egypt
Ramadan in Egypt
The holy month of Ramadan is one of the most important months in the Islamic calendar, characterized by worship, fasting, and observance. Still, in Egypt, this month takes on a characteristic of its own, blending spirituality, popular traditions, and some amazing celebrations. With the onset of this holy month, Egypt's streets become a carnival reflecting the spirit of love and solidarity among the people.
Egypt's Ramadan preparations
In Egypt, preparations for the holy month of Ramadan usually begin several weeks before the actual month. Markets are organized for Ramadan, streets are decorated with beautiful traditional lanterns and colourful decorations, and the buying movements increase, mainly for food items like dates, yamish, nuts, meat, and flour used for making kunafa and qatayef. There are also special events for selling Ramadan products at discounted prices so that families can have an affordable celebration of this auspicious month.
Ramadan on the streets of Egypt
The Ramadan lantern is one of the most famous symbols of Ramadan in Egypt, with children shopping for illuminated lanterns and wandering the streets with them. Streets and shops are decorated with dazzling lights and paper decorations that reflect the joyful atmosphere.
Iftar Cannon
The Iftar cannon The hero of this sentence is the cannon, whose sound is associated with family reunion and family warmth, no matter how far he travels; the Ramadan cannon has tales, stories and history, in some of which he was the main protagonist, in others the narrator, and sometimes he was limited to the role of a spectator, but despite that, he still always evokes in our souls the nostalgia for Ramadan and its nights.
History books describe how the ruler of Egypt in the Mamluk era, Khushqadam, was trying out a new cannon gifted to him by one of the governors, and it happened that the first shot came at sunset on the first day of Ramadan in 859 AH. After that, the sheikhs and people of Cairo flocked to Khushqadam's palace to thank him for firing the cannon at the time of breaking the fast, so he continued firing it after that.
Another version is that Muhammad Ali the Great, the ruler of Egypt and the founder of the Alawite dynasty in Egypt from 1805, was trying out a new cannon that he imported from Germany as part of his plans to modernize the Egyptian army, and the first shot was fired at the time of the Maghrib call to prayer in the month of Ramadan, so its sound was associated in the minds of the public with the breaking of the fast and Suhoor of Ramadan. They called that cannon “Hajj Fatima” due to its association with the month of Ramadan, and it was located in Salah al-Din al-Ayoubi Castle, which was located in the castle of Salah al-Din.”
In the middle of the nineteenth century, specifically during the reign of Khedive Abbas I in 1853, two cannons were fired to break the fast in Cairo: the first from the Citadel, and the second from the Saray “Abbas Pasha I” in Abbasiya, a suburb of Cairo. During the reign of Khedive “Ismail, it was thought to put the cannon in a high place so that its sound would reach the largest area of Cairo, and it settled in Mokattam Mountain, where it was celebrated before the beginning of Ramadan by leaving the Citadel on a cart with huge wheels, and returning after the end of the month of Ramadan and Eid to the castle's warehouses again.
The cannon's role evolved into a tool to announce the sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadan. After the sighting was confirmed, the cannons fired from the castle to celebrate the fasting month, in addition to firing 21 shots throughout the three days of Eid al-Fitr.
Thus, the sound of the cannon continued to be an essential element in the lives of Egyptians during Ramadan through the cannon belonging to the era of “Muhammad Ali” until the advent of the radio, which stopped firing it from the citadel in many cases, although the audio recording of it continued to be broadcast daily over the radio and television airwaves until officials decided to broadcast the firing process on the air during the Maghrib call to prayer from the citadel; in 1983, Egyptian Interior Minister “Ahmed Rushdy” decided to restore the firing of the cannon from Salah al-Din al-Ayoubi Citadel throughout Ramadan in Suhoor and Iftar, which restored the role and splendour of the cannon.
Two of the three surviving cannons from the Muhammad Ali dynasty were relocated there, and the third was kept as a tourist attraction in the courtyard of the Police Museum in the Salah al-Din Citadel, overlooking Cairo from a high knoll. Egyptians still hear the sound of the cannon over the radio or on television, which is considered a Ramadan tradition in Egypt.
Tables of the Rahman
It is one of the most wonderful forms of social solidarity in Egypt during the month of Ramadan, where thousands of tables are set up in the streets and mosques to feed the poor, the needy, and passers-by, and many people volunteer to prepare and serve food in an atmosphere of love and brotherhood.
Ramadan customs in Egypt
Perhaps the first of the dishes is the foul dish, and this Ramadan dish is hardly without it, as foul sellers are spread everywhere in Egypt, with their distinctive voice urging people to buy.
To drink fresh juices like orange, mango or cantaloupe, and after returning from Maghrib prayers, people start eating foods that fill the tables with all kinds of foods and their abundance, such as molokhia, soup, vegetables, and pasta with bechamel, and the table is decorated with green salad or yogurt salad with cucumbers, stuffed grape leaves, grilled chicken or some grills such as kebabs and kofta, and women compete with each other in preparing food and exchanging feasts with family and relatives.
The Masaharati
is a beloved Ramadan character in Egypt, roaming the streets before dawn, calling out the names of children and parents to wake them up for suhoor using a small drum. Despite the evolution of life, the mesaharati is still a part of Ramadan traditions that children and adults love.
The religious side of Ramadan
During Ramadan, Egyptians are keen to draw closer to God through taraweeh prayers in mosques, reading the Quran, and holding religious lessons. The number of worshippers increases dramatically, especially during the last ten nights of Ramadan, when Muslims look for the Night of Destiny.
Eid after Ramadan
As Ramadan comes to an end, Egyptian families start preparing Eid kahk and biscuits in preparation for Eid al-Fitr. Eid is an opportunity to visit with relatives and exchange greetings, and children are keen to wear new clothes and receive gifts from their parents.
