"Narrative Summit" Releases 2025 Recommendations to Cement Egypt's Position as a Global Tourism Destination    Egypt, S.Arabia step up trade ties through coordination council talks    Egypt reviews progress on $200m World Bank-funded waste management hub    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



In spite of disappearing traditions, you can't miss Eid in Cairo
Published in Daily News Egypt on 29 - 10 - 2006

More people buying kahk than making it, but holiday spirit in the air
CAIRO: Egyptians love to celebrate and Eid Al-Fitr is no exception. While some of the delightful customs long associated with the holiday have fallen by the wayside, others are going strong. Mass preparations for Eid started two days before the holiday, when the long lines at dessert and pastry shops shifted from the counters selling the traditional Ramadan konafa, basbousa and atayef to the counters selling kahk (a mix of flour and butter with sweet fillings), ghoriyaba (butter and sugar cookies) and petit fours.
While these baked goods have long been a part of Eid, the lines at bakeries are relatively new. Not so long ago, most people prepared these traditional Eid desserts at home in a delightful gathering for group baking.
Making kahk and other Eid desserts didn't merely mean adding another dish to the table. Rather it represented a staple holiday celebration. Eid, at least for some families including mine, is associated with the pre-holiday gathering that produces large quantities of kahk for the consumption of the entire family and their friends. It's not a cooking session; it's the essence of the holiday and our childhood memories of it.
Unfortunately this year, we have joined the long lines at the kahk shops; my grandmother was too ill to supervise the preparation process this year.
While this change is saddening, there are other vital Eid traditions that are still going strong. Just by walking around Cairo before and during the holidays, it is easy to observe and share the celebrations with everyone else.
Eid is everywhere and a sensory delight for all your senses. You can savor kahk, listen to the startling sounds of firecrackers, watch a movie, enjoy a night out in a shopping mall or exercise your spiritual side through the Eid prayer and the following sermon.
It all starts in the last week of Ramadan.
The amount of business conducted at department stores and shopping malls indicates that buying new clothes to wear during Eid is still an ongoing tradition that isn't likely to fall by the wayside any time soon. The traffic during the last two days in Ramadan, however, is a negative and unfortunate byproduct.
Just as Eid is about kahk, it is also about traffic, albeit a different type than the one associated with traffic jams at rush hour. Instead of cars there are people, thousands of people.
Public parks are overcrowded, shopping malls and movie theaters are packed, and the streets are brimming full of pedestrians with a minimum presence of cars. Those with an income that allows them to buy a car are usually out of town during the holiday.
The rest take their celebrations to the city's streets. Go to the more shaabi or older, more traditional districts in Cairo and you'll find crowds lined up for temporarily set up swings and other traditional, fun-fair like rides. It's all in the streets. You will probably even spot a horse or two brought to residential areas for joy rides.
And even if you are staying at home, you can't miss the public celebration of Eid and I'm not talking about the state TV reruns of the same "holiday movies every year. Children, with a good stock of firecrackers (commonly known as bomb el eid), start their annoying noisy pastime the night before Eid and don't stop until they've exploded the last one. They do take a short break, though, during the Eid prayer. Although manufacturing firecrackers is illegal in Egypt, due to its dangers, children never seem to run out of these mini explosives.
The Eid prayers not only provide a break from the children's firecrackers, but also represent an unchanged Eid tradition. The early morning prayer is an Islamic practice that draws thousands to mosques that often extend their praying space into the surrounding streets.
Probably, the prayer is the only tradition that will stand the test of the years, uniting people, regardless of class or social background.


Clic here to read the story from its source.