9 Ramadani Things
A Ramadan’s day is somehow different from normal days, yet there are several things that one can see or even wait for, except for the last, in Ramadan.
1. Madfaa el Iftar
It is a habit to announce the time of Iftar by a shot of an artillery. It used to be a real artillery with fake ammunition, nowadays it become not more than a recorded sound and an animated clip. Kids usually gather in front of a T.V. set to see the Madfaa’.
2. Mohaibis
After a long fastening day, youths gather to play a guessing game in which a ring is hidden in a hand of one young man in a group and the other team has to find the ring. The game is accompanied by serving sweets and tea.
3- White dress for men (Dishdasha)
Although it is a normal thing in the Arab gulf to see men wearing white dishdasha, in Ramadan many Middle Eastern men wear dishdasha especially at times of prayers.
4. Lanterns (Fawanees)
A fanous, lantern, is part of the North African Ramadani tradition. Recently, the idea of lanterns spread in the whole Middle East region. Its lovely lights during night makes the landscape more artistic and gives a sense of intimacy to Ramadan.
5. Scents (Bukhoor)
A good smell is always welcomed. In Ramadan consuming Bukhoor increases especially in mosques at Iftar time. Almost every household lights Bukhoor to spread good scent at home. The family gathering, Quran recitation and the scent gives a warm atmosphere reminding us of the old good days.
6. Cooking T.V. shows
In Ramadan, most housewives spend half of the day watching cooking T.V. shows and they usually end up making something else for Iftar. It is never a loss to watch a good cook preparing a meal, one day you will try that meal for sure.
7. Evening Quran
We grew up listening to Quran recitations at evening time in Ramadan, Abdul Basit Abdul Samad is one of the most famous Quran reciters of all time. The recitation adds intimacy to the warm atmosphere especially when you can find your grandfather sitting to listen there.
8. A Rich Meal
Serving rich meals is a trademark of Ramadan. Most Arab families serve rich fatty meals of several kinds and makes. Seeing the table full of meals makes you wonder which one to begin with. Eventually, you will end up drinking a lot of water and eating almost nothing.
9. Weight gain
Ramadan is the diet buster. Believe it or not most people suffer weight gain after the end of Ramadan. Although people fasten, the mystery lies in the way they gain weight; all will end up asking the same question, “How come that I gained weight? I ate nothing!!!” The answer lies in the rich fatty meals.
