By Youssra el-Sharkawy Each year, shop owners and traders try hard to come up with new trends to attract customers especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which is a time when people buy lanterns, decorations and various kinds of nuts and food. This year's new trend is lanterns that feature Liverpool football player Mohamed Salah. The new lanterns hit the Egyptian market a few days ago and soon photos of them went viral on the social media. Mo Salah, who last October scored the penalty against Congo that qualified Egypt to the World Cup Finals for the first time in 28 years, has a huge fan base in Egypt. This makes him the most appealing character to be featured on the Ramadan lanterns and decorations this year, especially when the World Cup is due to start directly after the holy month, which begins in May. "I think that many people will buy these new lanterns because Salah is very popular," said Saeed Reda, a shop owner in central Cairo. Reda told the Egyptian Mail that he sells two kinds of lanterns that feature Salah."There are lanterns that carry a small-sized, full-length image of Salah and other lanterns made of wood with a photo of Salah printed on them he said. Salah lanterns cost between LE90 and LE150 ($5-$9) in the wholesale market while in some shops in town, they could cost between LE200 and LE250. Salah's photo has also appeared on Ramadan decorations which usually carry Islamic designs and colorful shapes. "This year, we bought a large supply of decorations to be used, not only in Ramadan but also during the World Cup matches. It is a big event and we are all thrilled," said Reda. Themed lanterns are not something new, because Ramadan lanterns are usually updated according to current events. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi was himself featured on the Ramadan lanterns in 2013 after the June 30 Revolution which removed the Muslim Brotherhood-linked president Mohamed Morsi. The lanterns featured Sisi wearing his army uniform and carrying a ball with Egypt's name on it. Many people bought the lanterns at the time, in support of Sisi. "I like buying these themed lanterns for my children although they are very young, so they can know the people we cherish," said Hassan Hamdy, a father of two children, aged three and five years old.
