Ramadan dates this year will take on revolutionary names – like Martyr's Dates, Tahrir's Dates and Gadhafi's Dates – in honor of the January 25 Revolution and the Arab Spring. The best dates will be named Martyr's Dates – in honor of those who gave their lives in the Egyptian revolution – and will go for 15 EGP per kilo (U.S. $2.52), reported vendors. They added that the worst and cheapest dates will be named either Gadahfi's Dates or Ezz's Dates, named for disgraced former member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Ahmed Ezz. Other dates will be named Fierce Friday Dates, at 30 EGP per kilo (U.S. $5.04), and Step Down Dates, at 25 EGP per kilo (U.S. $4.20). Most vendors decided to change the names of Ramadan dates – which often were named for celebrities and artists – to honor the Egyptian revolution. Dates are twice as expensive as last year, reported Ibrahim Mahmoud, a lantern vendor. Ibrahim also mentioned that he purchases his goods from Upper Egypt instead of wholesale in an effort to save money.
