Ancient lores and Egyptian Ramadan

When one listens to Egyptian Ambassador to Kuwait, Taher Farahat, describing the rich traditions that are followed in Egypt during Ramadan, the listener feels like he or she has embarked on a journey on the Nile River, directly to the heart of the crowded streets of Cairo. The variety of food, the songs that the children chant in the streets after Iftar, the traditional tents and people racing to the mosques to pray, Taher is only too enthusiastic to narrate how Egyptians spend the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan Cannon "Ramadan traditions and customs have a special individuality that goes back way in time since the spread of Islam. For instance, the Ramadan cannon firing is a tradition that started in the Egyptian capital Cairo which later spread to some Arab countries. It was said that the late Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali Pasha ordered the purchase of a new military cannon. One day during the holy month of Ramadan, it was tested and the big bang rumbled and coincided with the fast breaking at sunset. People liked the coincidence, so they asked Ali Pasha to fire the cannon at dusk, announcing the time of fast breaking. Since then it has become a tradition, connected to Ramadan," Taher said.

Another famous story that has origins in the year 859 of the Islamic calendar, an Ottoman ruler called Khooshghadam controlled Egypt. He ordered his soldier to test a new canon, which was offered by a German friend. This also happened at sunset, prompting many Egyptians to think of it as a new tradition. However, this was not done for the first time. Some of the religious scholars and dignitaries went to meet the ruler and asked him to keep up this tradition. As they could not find him, they met his wife instead. It's been called the 'Hajah Fatma' canon ever since.