The Arab peoples preserve their legacies in expressing the joy of receiving Ramadan. They are passed down through the generations, and some of them decay in other places or some of them disappear completely, but in the end they all represent authentic Ramadan customs and traditions.
Kurdish candy from the hands of children in Tunisia
Tunisians begin to prepare for "Sidi Ramadan", as they used to call it, out of love and preference among the months of the year. The movement of streets, markets and shops increases.
Sabreen A.A., a housewife from Tunisia, told Al-Jazeera Net, "Women buy new plates and utensils to use in the holy month, housewives clean their homes as if they are preparing for a wedding or a dear guest, and" Boubella, "who roams the streets at night with his drum, calls for the Sahour."
Sabreen added, "As for the Ramadan tables in Tunisia, do not miss them daily, dates with butter, frik soup (barley), salad, and brik (a Tunisian dish that resembles samosa stuffed with special ingredients) in addition to the main dish, and other dishes that differ according to the Tunisian authorities and their customs, whether in breakfast or Suhoor
In the popular neighborhoods in particular, children start competing from the first day in making (cardian), which is a type of sweets made from egg whites and sugar, and children go on making and mixing them until they grow up and the afternoon rises to the call to prayer.
Dates and zrik, the Mauritanian breakfast
Ahmed Ould Aslam from Mauritania says, "We take Ramadan in the simplest way, we live its spirit and we do not celebrate it, and we do not have any traditions related to Ramadan, and there is no exaggeration in celebrating it and receiving it. It is the month of worship, we celebrate its day by fasting and the night by qiyaam, except for the 27th night when we perform it." Some visits to relatives. "
Ould Islam added to Al-Jazeera Net, "At breakfast time, we interrupt the fast through dates, Mauritanian tea, and a cup of (zrik), which is a mixture of milk and water, and eating comes later after performing Tarawih prayers, and this is one of our traditional customs, which has changed today for some."
Breakfast rituals in Sudan
Amina Othman from Sudan says, "In every family there is a family home, we meet in it and share breakfast, and every family brings their breakfast with them, and while the women eat their breakfast inside the house, the men carry breakfasts on a tray, and go out to eat it on the street in front of their homes." From neighbors sharing food together, and the purpose of this custom is to allow passers-by and the poor to eat with them without embarrassment.
Among the main foods in the Ramadan tray, according to Amina, are porridge, Sudanese falafel, and beans. The most popular juices in the Ramadan table are sweet sour juice (which is made from corn plants), tamarind, guangles seed juice, and lemon.
Shahi monument in the homes of the people of Hijaz
Israa M. from Mecca says to Al-Jazeera Net, "One of the habits of the people of the Hijaz when receiving Ramadan is to clean the house and change the places of furniture for renewal, and one of our most famous habits in the house is the" Shahi monument, "which is allocated a place for it in one side of the living room, where we put a short table on it "Samawar", which is a metal container for preparing steamed tea, and is served after Iftar as desired. The shahi remains throughout the days of Ramadan and is removed on the first days of Eid. "
Israa continues her speech, “Unlike other countries, we eat light food for breakfast, such as samosa, beans and soup, and we eat the main meal in the pre-dawn meal, such as rice, okra and kabsa. After Taraweeh prayers, we can eat“ Talbibah ”, which is what is left of the breakfast meal, and the sobia drink is considered (Waking bread or barley) is our favorite on the Ramadan table. "
The new Moroccan outfit above all
From Morocco, Amal. T. told Al-Jazeera Net, "The celebration of Ramadan begins in Morocco weeks before its advent, and some families acquire new kitchen utensils and change the furniture of the house, especially the guest lounge. The most important preparations are to prepare traditional Moroccan clothing sets, which every man, woman and child adorns with. And a child in Morocco, especially during the period of visits and intentions, because it is shameful that we fulfill someone’s invitation for suhoor or breakfast, and we wear regular clothes. Rather, the Moroccan traditional dress is the official uniform in Ramadan, because of its modesty, dignity, nobility and luxury even in its simplicity.
Amal tells about the Misharati in Morocco, which is known as (Al-Nafar), and he roams the paths and alleys, wearing the traditional Moroccan dress, and in his hand is the musical instrument that emits that melodious sound, which wakes people up for the suhoor, warning them of the approaching end of the time of eating and the approaching entry of constipation and dawn, and for each Its own Nafara neighborhood.
And the labor center of each city calls "zouakat", which is that sound "whistling", which is fired to inform people of the onset of sunset, and that they are able to stop fasting and start eating.
The cannon, which fires one burst of powerful gunpowder, plays the same role in coastal cities in Morocco.
"The pause of Ramadan" for the poor
On the atmosphere of Ramadan in Algeria, Nawal from Algeria says, "A week before Ramadan, we wash the mosque yards, and children go out with bags to collect dirt from the streets, because the mosques will not accommodate the large number of worshipers, which makes them pray in the streets. We also clean the house and paint the rooms, and women go out." To buy new supplies for the kitchen, including plates and cups, mixtures of spices and their preparation, and drenching (pickling) peppers and olives, and women knead bread every day.
Nawal Qaboos told us about the habit of "Ramadan waqf" for Algerians, as every house capable of financially helps a poor family by providing food at the (al-Qafah) daily throughout Ramadan.
There is an ancient oral folklore that Algeria is famous for, and it is the game of "Bougala", where women gather in a Ramadan evening to practice their rituals and read fortunes around the tea tray and the famous almond heart candy.