Paris -

Mohamed El-Amin is keen to meticulously preserve all his Ramadan customs, traditions and religious rituals that he brought with him from the Algerian city of Tlemcen to France 40 years ago.

He is keen to live all the rituals and Ramadan atmosphere and pass them on to his children and grandchildren so that they preserve their identity and origins.

Al-Amin says, "I came to France as a young man from the city of Tlemcen in the Algerian west 40 years ago. I got married and gave birth to my children in Paris, but I brought them up with a good Islamic upbringing that respects our customs and traditions and preserves the origins of our true religion. After this long period, I am still keen to meet every Ramadan with My extended family, let us celebrate together his spiritual rites, his beautiful customs and his religious rites.”

Mohamed Al-Amin in his shop in Belleville (Al-Jazeera)

And he continues, "I cannot sit at the Ramadan table from the first day to the last day, until after all my children, grandchildren and my family gather around me to live the true atmosphere of this holy month. I do not hide from you that through this intimate family atmosphere I recall the echo of my childhood, and what I lived through In the city of Tlemcen, from the atmosphere of Ramadan, in the company of my father and grandfather, may God have mercy on them.”

Revenge of the pandemic

Muhammad Al-Amin and his family are a microcosm of the Maghreb families and the Arab Muslim community in Paris, who do not miss the opportunity of the holy month every year in order to restore their customs and traditions and to invoke the spiritual, religious and human rites that characterize the month in which the Qur’an was revealed.

Arabic Ramadan sweets in the Belleville neighborhood in Paris (Al Jazeera)

After two years of closure, psychological and physical pressures and quarantine as a result of the Corona pandemic, the Ramadan atmosphere, with its distinctive Arab character, returns strongly to the capital of lights in a process similar to catharsis and revenge for the harsh isolation conditions of the pandemic, especially in some Parisian neighborhoods inhabited by the majority of Muslim immigrants of Arab origin, similar to Belleville, Barbass, Montray, Saint-Denis, Aubervilliers and Quatre Schumann.

These popular neighborhoods witness remarkable commercial activity and a great demand for Arab products, sweets and refreshments, which are widely consumed this month and are in high demand.

The crowding of people in these neighborhoods is similar to most Arab and Islamic capitals during the month of Ramadan.

And about this great movement and the preparations required for the holy month, Muhammad Al-Amin, the owner of a shop specializing in Maghreb and oriental supplies in the Belleville neighborhood, explains that he has lived in the Ramadan atmosphere for 20 years in this shop, and before that he lived the Ramadan atmosphere in the Kater Shoman neighborhood for 15 years.

The flavor and preparations for this month differ from one region to another and from one period to another.

Maghreb sweets in Paris (Al Jazeera)

The 65-year-old Sheikh confirms that preparations for the holy month start a month or more in advance in order to provide all the food items that are in high demand this month, such as harissa, plum, fig slice, Levantine sweets, dates of all kinds, Algerian, Tunisian, Saudi, and even Iraqi, as well as oriental spices, saltines and olive oil. And he should not forget the crockery that it is not pleasant to eat in Ramadan except in them.

And about the difference between Ramadan 25 years ago and Ramadan today, Al-Amin points out that things differed a lot, and he tends and yearns for Ramadan in that period for several reasons.

The first, he says, is that commercial competition today in his profession has increased provocatively, as shops operating in the same specialty have multiplied everywhere.

And he added to Al Jazeera Net, "Ramadan 25 years ago was more movement, blessing, more trade, and more beautiful fragrance. The customers of that period had more possibilities and did not argue much in prices like their counterparts today who lacked the means and were burdened by the pressures of life and the high cost of living. With the entry of the Ukrainian crisis on the line before Ramadan, commercial matters became complicated more".

The Islamic spiritual atmosphere and Arab food customs attract not only Arab and Muslim immigrants, but also French and Western citizens who live in or close to these neighborhoods.

This is confirmed by Muhammad Al-Amin, whose folds of brow testify to his commercial, humanitarian and social experience. He says, "The French love the atmosphere of Ramadan in Belleville, and they buy dates and some sweets that they only find in this holy month. Over time, they also got used to this Ramadan and spiritual atmosphere and became They are eagerly awaiting her as we do."

In Belleville, a Ramadan atmosphere and Arabic sweets (Al Jazeera)

A kiss to all those who fast

As for Munther, the owner of a restaurant and a Ramadan sweets shop in the Belleville neighborhood;

He points out that the neighborhood is a destination for all fasting people, immigrants and Arab expatriates who come to it from all regions and other French cities to supply their Ramadan needs such as sweets, dates, milk, cheese and foodstuffs that they can only find here at reasonable prices.

He continues, "Only in Belleville, the fasting person and the Maghreb and Arab expatriate feel that they are in their own country, where they can live the Ramadan atmosphere as if in the old city of Tunis or Kairouan or in Fez and Rabat in Morocco or in Constantine or Oran in Algeria, here the fragrance of Ramadan is very similar to what we live in. In our countries of origin, because the majority of residents here are from Maghreb countries, as well as visitors from neighboring neighborhoods, and this creates great commercial movement and a beautiful Ramadan atmosphere that everyone eagerly awaits throughout the year.”

And the originator of the Tunisian city of Sousse noted that the turnout this year was great, surpassing even the period before the pandemic, as if people were taking revenge on the period of stagnation, quarantine and curfews that they experienced during two years of closure.

Various Arab sweets in Barbas (Al Jazeera)

human solidarity

We leave Munther to his clients in the atmosphere of Belleville, and go to the Barbas neighborhood, which is inhabited by a majority of immigrants of Arab and Muslim origin.

As soon as we enter it, we are interrupted by the voices of vendors and merchants that penetrate the crowd.

Some eagerly ask for their needs, while others hurry to leave, as there is only an hour left for breakfast.

On the sides of the road stand the vendors’ carts and their dishes, which are filled with various types of sweets, including maqroud, baklava, zalabia, makhareq, heart of almonds, chebakia, kaab el ghazal, Mahjouba, Mahanha, and even brik, harira and sherbeh in various ways of preparation.

We break through the crowd with difficulty and move towards a shop selling Maghreb refreshments and sweets, and amidst the crowds of customers and the large number of requests, we could hardly speak with the seller Munir for a moment to ask him about the Ramadan atmosphere in the Barbas neighborhood.

The young man in his thirties, of Algerian origin, told Al Jazeera Net, "The atmosphere of Ramadan in Barbas is not like any other atmosphere, but rather surpasses even the atmosphere of the city of Batna, from which I came 10 years ago."

Types of sweets and Ramadan products in Belleville (the island)

As for the extent to which demand and prices were affected by the recent Ukrainian crisis, the originator of the city of Batna (northeast of Algeria) noted that the shop in which he works - in addition to the rest of the neighboring shops - is witnessing a remarkable turnout, although prices have risen a lot this year compared to previous years before the pandemic.

He added, "It is true that prices have increased recently, as a result of the high prices and scarcity of raw materials, yet the demand remains high because people are eager to practice their normal lives and restore their Ramadan habits after two years of absence and closure as a result of the Corona virus. Also, the prices of Barbas neighborhood are the lowest compared to even the rest of the neighborhoods. Other popular ones such as Belleville or Saint-Denis.