(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Ramadan is a dear guest that everyone is preparing to receive with joy, as it is the month of fasting and the Qur'an, and the month of generosity, compassion, and interdependence, so it receives special attention among the religious and social occasions in the Islamic nation.
In the past, the Qatari society receives the holy month with of Ramadan with a special ancient rituals and social customs, as Qataris and their Muslim brothers await its arrival every year with great eagerness and passion.
In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Qatari folklore researcher Khalifa Al Sayed Al Malki explained that the most important characteristic of Qatari society in Ramadan is the increase in cohesion and social solidarity, indicating that there is interdependence at all levels.
He pointed out that Qatari society has always been preparing to receive the blessed month through inherited customs and traditions that indicate a special interest in Ramadan as all homes prepared for it. Most preparation is from the housewife and women in general who do a lot of tasks before the advent of Ramadan, perhaps a whole month. In the past, they used to prepare flour as Qatari women baked regag, a type of bread that is like crackers from which they made thareed, and beat the grains from which the they made harees, as these two dishes are very popular and will be found on most Qatari Iftar tables in Ramadan.
He added that the ancient Qatari customs were associated with certain foods in this month such as harees, thareed, sago, luqaimat, and others. These dishes take long time to prepare, and therefore it was necessary for women to prepare for these dishes, in addition to the fact that the amount consumed is different in the month of generosity.
He added that women in the past used to grind grains at home, and bake regag. He pointed out that spices were brought, washed, dried, ground, and mixed, as each dish has its spices. The housewife is interested in renewing household utensils with the onset of Ramadan, especially utensils that retain heat, and choosing the most beautiful in design, he said, explaining that cooking fuel is firewood, as collecting firewood was a major task and is brought and prepared in preparation for the holy month, to save time for worship and read the Holy Quran.
Al Malki indicated that young people had tasks as well, so they used to join hands in every neighborhood to prepare and clean mosques to receive worshipers, pointing out that Ramadan is characterized by social meetings, in which people gather after Tarawih prayers in the majlis and exchange conversations, as well as family visits, where families distribute food, so a family cannot make food without giving it to its neighbors, stressing that all these things, despite their simplicity, helped to increase cohesion and interdependence between the entire groups of society.
Al Malki underlined that the month of Ramadan is now different from before, indicating that nowadays all needs and various food items are available in markets and commercial complexes, although the Qatari society is still adhering to its customs and traditions in preparing for the holy month, as well as many customs that were associated with the month of fasting.
He noted that one of the most important Qatari customs is the neighbour-to-neighbour food sharing, which is an old Gulf custom known by different names as an expression of love and affection. In the past, Qatari people used to share platters with neighbours, whether in the month of Ramadan or in other times, but this habit increases with the holy month, which is characterized by its popular foods such as thareed and harees.
For his part, a researcher of Qatari heritage Ali Al Fayyad said that preparing to welcome the month of Ramadan is of great privacy and importance, as it is the month in which the family gathers permanently, as well as in which one family is connected by a cohesion that increases the bonds and interdependence of society, pointing out that there is a connection that was most apparent before Ramadan, which is the preparation in all respects that provide the family with the best way to prepare food, so that they can devote their selves later to religious and social tasks.
Women, whether from the same family or the same neighborhood, gather in the month of Sha'ban in one of the houses and beat the grains with wooden tools amidst feelings of joy, pleasure, and singing, as harees grain which is a type of wheat, is beaten to make traditional foods, the most important of which are regag, luqaimat, and jareesh, he said, adding that the preparation for holding an occasion within the month of Ramadan existed in the past as well so there was early preparation for the Garangao celebration by buying sweets and nuts, which were placed in a wicker basket to be distributed to children for the joy of those who fasted when they were young.
He stressed that the preparation for the holy month is currently different from the past, as various goods are available in commercial malls with the availability of energy, which helps to prepare Qatari popular dishes continuously and with less effort due to the continuous development, affirming that the old time was characterized by simplicity despite the preservation of the Qatari customs and traditions today.