QNA
Doha
The Holy Month of Ramadan is a religious and social occasion in which Qataris pledge to preserve the social values and popular traditions associated with it as part of the Qatari identity, where the people of Qatar seek to revive these customs every year.
Experts in social sciences and heritage stressed, in exclusive statements to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), the keenness of the people of Qatar to preserve the folk traditions that are part of the Qatari identity to be passed on from generation to generation, stressing that no matter how different the manifestations of the celebration of the holy month are, the values of Ramadan remain part of the society’s identity.
For her part, Head of the Department of Social Sciences at Qatar University Dr Fatima Ali Hussain Al Kubaisi told QNA that Qatari society was and still is full of many social values, the most important of which are cooperation, solidarity and compassion among people, stressing that the Qatari society was keen to adhere to these values in the past, despite the difficulty of life at that time, in addition to interest in strengthening the social ties between families and neighbors.
She added that religious values were the most dominant in the month of Ramadan, as people in Qatari society feel the spirituality of this month. Ramadan’s preparations were characterized by simplicity, given the nature of life in that period.
She emphasized that there are still many values that Qataris preserve today, such as cooperation and solidarity, visiting relatives to congratulate them on the holy month, and exchanging gifts and food.
Head of the Department of Social Sciences at Qatar University explained that due to the change and development of societies, some social aspects have changed due to the high standard of living, the many cultures that exist in Qatar, which affected the way of celebration.
She indicated the Qatari society’s interest in strengthening family and even community bonding, thus, they gather in the ghabka "the gathering” and celebrate the garangao, stressing that these values will remain ingrained in society, even if the forms of their expression differ.
Dr Fatima Al Kubaisi pointed out the need to strengthen the popular heritage among the new generations, through the family’s keenness to involve children in these aspects, and reminding them of their importance, in addition to focusing on the importance of this holy month in the life of every Muslim, as parents should be keen to accompany their children with them in all aspects of this holy month, such as praying, visiting relatives, and providing aid, so that children acquire these behaviors, and those values remain firmly established in society.
In turn, the Qatari folklore researcher Khalifa Al Sayed Al Malki explained in a special statement to QNA that Qatari society has always been preparing to receive the blessed month through inherited customs and inherited traditions that indicate a special interest in Ramadan. Qatari woman used to prepare flour as Qatari women baked regag from which they made thareed and beat the grains from which the they made harees, as these two foods are not without a house most of the days of Ramadan, as the ancient Qatari customs were associated with certain foods in this month such as harees, thareed, sago, luqaimat, and others are cooked and therefore was necessary for women to prepare for these foods, as it takes a long time to prepare them, in addition to the fact that the amount consumed is different in the month of generosity.
He added that the custom of women in the old time was to grind grains at home, as well as pound grains of harees and others, and baking regag in addition to that spices were brought, washed, dried, ground, and mixed, each cooking has its spices, the saloona, meaning maraq or stew is different from meat from the fish Majboos or Kabsa.
Al Malki indicated that 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.
He talked about some of the aspects that the people of Qatar still preserve within their popular heritage, such as "Ghabka”, which is the name of a feast that is eaten at midnight, and its aim is to bring people together for one feast, pointing out that the Ghabga in the past was not for strangers or those far from the people of the neighborhood, but with the change of society it took new forms.
He also referred to the Garangao, which is one of the prevailing Ramadan traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation in the State of Qatar and the Gulf states as well. It is a celebration on the middle night of Ramadan, where families prepare sweets and nuts, and prepare to receive children who roam the streets of Al-Fareej (the neighborhood), knock on doors, and sing songs related to this occasion to get their share of sweets and nuts.
He stressed that the Qatari society still adheres to its customs, values and legacies associated with the holy month.