Merchants in Yemen compete to invite "road guests" to breakfast tables as an expression of generosity and solidarity (Al Jazeera)

Minutes before the Maghrib call to prayer is called, Abdul Qawi invites everyone he meets on his way to his home to break the fast, in a tradition that has been in place for decades, as the merchants and affluent people of Ibb city are keen to invite people to their breakfast tables during the month of Ramadan.

The invitation is not limited to those he knows who are street vendors or market workers, but among them are shoppers who found out it was time to break the fast while they were in his store.

The people of the city of Ibb, merchants and affluent people, are keen to invite people to their iftar tables during the month of Ramadan (Al Jazeera)

An inherited habit

He says that this good custom has been inherited for a long time, as merchants compete to invite “road guests” to breakfast tables in their homes as an expression of generosity and solidarity.

He added to Al Jazeera Net, "There is a blessing in Ramadan, and there is always enough food," but the family prepares enough food as it anticipates new guests at the table every day.

The people of the city of Ibb maintain this tradition, despite the deteriorating economic conditions resulting from the war that has been going on in the country for about a decade and caused one of the humanitarian disasters, while the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea has exacerbated the most severe humanitarian crisis, as the cost of securing ships arriving at Yemeni ports has risen to reflect An excessive increase in the prices of basic commodities.

Yemenis at a group breakfast table in the city of Mukalla in Hadramaut Governorate (Al Jazeera)

Road guests

In the villages and towns of the countryside of Ibb Governorate, people compete to honor “guests on the road,” as a stranger is not allowed to pass through the village without breaking his fast there, while some take dates and water to the main road and stop travelers’ cars, and after they break their fast they are invited to the table.

Muhammad Abdel Salam, a young man who was traveling from Sanaa to Ibb along with 8 others, was surprised when a person on the side of the road appeared to wave at them insistingly to stop, and he told Al Jazeera Net, “The man insisted that we get out of the car after he gave us dates and water, and I did not realize “The situation at first was especially since there was no restaurant or rest area for travelers in the area, but we were invited to a breakfast table.”

A group breakfast organized by a right-wing merchant inviting passersby (Al Jazeera)

An ancient tradition

He added that their host "was the sheikh of the region who insisted that we eat breakfast from the porridge, chicken, and meat that had been prepared for us, which is a daily meal prepared for travelers who find themselves at breakfast time."

Abu Ammar Al-Shalfi, who is from Ibb Governorate, says that inviting strangers to the house to break the fast is an old tradition, as houses with their tables are opened to passers-by or to those who attended the sunset prayer and are not from the neighborhood.

He points out that this custom still exists, despite the rise in prices to record levels, the economic difficulties, and the suspension of the payment of salaries to administrative sector employees for the eighth year, which has pushed many Ramadan customs to decline and decline.

A group breakfast organized by a merchant, inviting passers-by and the poor people of the neighborhood (Al-Jazeera)

Expatriate remittances

In the city of Ibb, some restaurants close their doors during the month of Ramadan due to the decline in demand. The iftar tables to which they are invited save the city’s patrons from eating in restaurants. Faisal Abdul Hamid, one of the city’s residents, says that this annual tradition gives the Yemenis great hope.

He added, "In previous years, some people would pass by several mosques in their cars to invite worshipers to their homes. It is true that this custom is no longer what it was, but it has not disappeared either, especially among families who still have income from remittances from Yemeni expatriates abroad."

Rashad Al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Command Council, which runs the internationally recognized government, said that expatriate remittances contribute to feeding millions of people in Yemen, with the collapse of the government protection network and the worsening humanitarian crisis, especially in light of the cessation of oil exports due to Houthi attacks.

A group breakfast organized by a merchant in Hadramaut Governorate (Al Jazeera)

In the last briefing to the Security Council on Yemen, on March 14, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the number of people receiving aid and the size of food rations had been reduced in areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government. While the World Food Program stopped distributing food aid in areas controlled by the Houthi group.

Ali Salem, whose family owns a smart appliances store, told Al Jazeera Net that his father used to invite most of the people in the market to have breakfast at their home, "but today it has become limited to the employees in the store and some relatives, and this is due to the difficult economic situation."

Source: Al Jazeera