Ramadan, the holy month of the year for Muslims is the ninth month of the Hijri Calendar (Islamic Calendar) , uniting all Muslims while fasting, feasting and praying , Muslims receive Ramadan with celebratory traditions, and one of the oldest and deeply rooted traditions of Ramadan is Al Mesaharaty . Al Mesaharaty walks down the streets just before dawn with a drum, to wake people for Suhur , which is the meal Muslims have before sunrise, a Sunnah given to us by the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), who said that "Suhur is a blessing". Along with that Suhur helps during the day not to feel in need for eating or drinking. Not only do children enjoy Al Mesaharaty; adults do too. He walks from one district to another playing folklore music,while carrying his drum chanting, "Suhur, it's time for Suhur , wake up and pray for God, wake up and ask for God's blessing." Bilal Ibn Rabah was the first Mesaharaty in Islamic history, when the Prophet asked him to wake up believers for Suhur. Al Mesaharaty was later acknowledged as an official post in the Abbasid era, in the Hijri year of 238, when Isaac ben Ocba the Egyptian Governer, noticed that Egyptians don't recognize Suhur time so, he took this mission upon himself by alerting believers for "Suhur". Egyptian Mesaharaty was the first who used the drum for Suhur during the Fatimid dynasty's Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, while other countries as Yemen and Morocco used sticks for knocking the doors. However, in Mecca he was called Zamzami. Mesaharaty wasn't popular only amongst people, but also within the media broadcasting Mesaharaty programs on Radio and television, moreover, Mesaharty program became one of the most popular programs in Ramadan, not only for Muslims but for all cultures. Many singers and actors played Mesaharaty roles such as Karem Mahmoud and Sayed Mekawy. Mekawy was the most popular Mesahraty throughout the Arab world. Mekawy played the unforgettable role of Al Mesaharaty which has been written by the Egyptian poet, Fouad Haddad. It was broadcastd for the first time in 1951until his death. And, till now, Egyptian television and radio still broadcast Mesaharaty for Mekawy. Nowadays, Egypt has a set of festivities to prepare and celebrate Ramadan such as Taraweeh Prayers, buying Yameesh (nuts and dried fruits), TV specially-launched Ramadan TV series and entertainment programs. You could label Ramadan in Egypt as a full on festival. In the era of technology, Muslims are mostly dependent on alarm clocks to wake them up while the old tradition is slowly dwindling, but the question is, will we see Mesaharaty in a new look, or is it just going to be another fading tradition as many have before?
