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Ramadan in Cairo

Streets, hotels, restaurants and houses decked with colorful lanterns; the Quran read and recited everywhere, smiling poor people; the long lines to get what Egyptians call kunafah and what Turks call kadayıf (a dessert made from shredded pastry baked in syrup, often filled with pistachio nuts, walnuts or clotted cream), the never-stopping horns in the most irregular traffic on earth that heighten the tension, paired with the iftar (the evening meal breaking the daily fast, ed.) tents competing with one another to serve more poor people…

The daily rhythm of life, in brief, is entirely determined according to the holy month of Ramadan.

People smile differently during this month in Egypt. They are famous for their peacefulness and being content with what they have. For an Egyptian, Ramadan is liveliness and increased blessings. In order to emphasize this concept of spiritual abundance and blessings — something irrational, but quite real indeed to those who experience it — all the greeting phrases are abandoned in favor of Ramadan Kareem, which can roughly be translated as "I wish you a Ramadan full of spiritual abundance and blessings (in which the Bountiful and the Generous One showers His blessings and mercy upon you and your loved ones)."

Two of the Ramadan traditions are observed almost everywhere in Egypt: kunafah and the colorful Ramadan lanterns. Both have become such inseparable parts of the culture of the country that during the month of fasting, one sees hardly any houses without a lantern or iftar tables without kunafah.

The lanterns come in different shapes, sizes and colors and are said to be a tradition dating back to the Fatimid dynasty, the Arab Shia dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghrib, Egypt and the Levant from 910 to 1171, and founded the Egyptian city of Cairo as their capital. These lanterns are hung not only in the streets, but also in hotels, restaurants, balconies of houses and even rooms.

Since the life in the country is adjusted according to Ramadan, most public offices close by 3 p.m. Private businesses are no exception, either. The terrible traffic congestion Turkey experiences around iftar time take place in the afternoon in Egypt. Although wealthy people mostly prefer to eat out during Ramadan, they also race one another to give as many iftar dinners as possible in an attempt to never break their fast alone.

However, in Egypt, where the financial gap between classes is so large and where the poor people are in the majority, needy families mostly benefit from the food aid packs delivered to them by better-off people, rather than being invited to iftar dinners, which reminds us of just another beautiful tradition lost to time. Nowadays in Egypt, as well as Turkey of course, rich people throw lavish iftar dinners for their social peers while trying to get off the hook in terms of alms by making some donations during the month.

This damages the social ties between different classes, meaning Ramadan loses its former importance in terms of being an opportunity for people, rich and poor alike, to get close to each other — the food aid pack is a poor substitute. Putting aside this negativity, needy people can still benefit from the month. At the very least, they can eat meat during this month — something not possible for much of the year.

At terawih (a special prayer performed only during Ramadan, ed.) time the streets are emptied and you can watch the tremendous stream of humanity — people of all ages — flow toward the mosques. It’s possible to find a small mosque on every street in Egypt. The terawih prayers are usually made up of eight units, shorter than the usual 20, but most imams recite the entire Quran by the end of the month.

The predawn meal of sahur is also a little different than in Turkey. Muslims in Egypt usually stay up late during the month, so most of them are awake at sahur time; but the tambourine players still tour the neighborhood in case there may be people that are still sleeping. Mostly consisting of young people, these tambourine players are called misaharati. They play their tambourines while singing poems and chanting prayers. In addition the iftar tent tradition has sprung up in recent years, although the tents are not as widespread and well provided for as those in Turkey. The interest of people in these tents, usually pitched and attached to grand mosques or in poor neighborhoods, is always greater than anticipated.

Publications or TV shows about the month are not as widespread as in Turkey, either. Since the entire media is owned by the state, these programs are very pale and insipid, particularly compared to what one would expect to see in an Arabic-speaking country. Quran Radio tries to meet people’s demands in this direction with its Quran broadcast and religious discourse.

All in all, Ramadan means peace for an Egyptian. In this country with a large Christian community, both communities have developed an understanding of solidarity and tolerance for this month over the years. The Christians in the country hold iftar dinners for Muslims, while the Muslims don’t fail to invite them to their iftar dinners.

—— Cumali Önal, Today's Zaman