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The traditions of Algerians during the month of Ramadan By Youcef Tazir
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 16, 2006
Algiers- Algerians differ in the way they prepare for and celebrate the Holy month of Ramadan. Most people however make it an occasion of family unity, service to society and supporting one another. However, there are the few who use the month to make illegitimate profits. Although Ramadan is supposed to be a month of mercy, generosity, good works and observing what is allowed by God, many Algerian merchants and dealers seek unlawful profits during Ramadan.
As the government imposes regulations and supervises the markets in an attempt to keep the price of goods constant during the month, these traders meanwhile raise the prices of their goods, sometimes to double. Vegetables, meet and fruit experience a huge price boom.
Perhaps the reason for this is that purchases in the weekends of Ramadan are unlike any during the year. Men and women - to an unusual degree - fill the markets and the commercial areas across the cities to buy Ramadan necessities.
Although many Ramadan traditions have changed over time in Algeria, preparations for the month remain the same. Algerians get ready for it weeks before it starts.
Religious practice, like fasting during the day and praying during the night, is common weeks before Ramadan. For women, however, the preparations are not strictly religious; setting up the house to receive guests during the month - a tradition for decades - is a must.
Before Ramadan, women take the responsibility of cleaning the house. Some women go to the extreme of totally making over the whole house; refurbishing and painting.
Algerian women usually buy new cooking utensils, which will be used in cooking the heavy meals and big banquets, and purchase new dishes.
"I am used to preparing for the holy month of Ramadan by first cleaning the house, then taking care of household matters and buying all new for the kitchen, especially dishes," says Sajiyya, a housewife in her late thirties.
But it is not only her home that Sajiyya takes care of.
"My family also helps me in washing the carpets and the mats of the district mosque. We volunteer."
Such preparations for Ramadan - taking care of mosques - are considered first and foremost spiritual; however, cleaning mosques is also the responsibility of the state during Ramadan.
Algeria's mosques, which number roughly around 15,000, undergo intensive renovation. In the months before Ramadan, religious practice and prayers in the mosques are also increased.
The word of God (the Koran) is always heard echoing from these houses of worship. Religious sermons and lectures are also common days before Ramadan starts.
Before the month, many choose to give up habits and behaviours forbidden by Islam. They usually start this "cleansing period" 45 days before the holy month starts, where people flock to mosques adding to the queues of praying worshippers. However, when Ramadan ends, many return to their old habits.
The household menu during Ramadan in Algeria can not be conceived without certain traditional dishes and foods. The Algerian soup al- Harira or al-Hisaa, as the people call it, is a must and is accompanied by home-made bread called al-Kasra. Seasonings and spices are usually added to different types of food.
Al-Buraq, bread filled with cheese and minced meat, is also a famous dish that is eaten at sohour (the last meal before the dawn) coupled with milk and cuscus. Almonds, Baklava and Zalabiya (a round donut-like sweet dipped in honey or sugar) is on the top of the long list of Arabian sweets that Algerians eat during Ramadan.
Algerians have special Ramadan traditions that distinguish them from other Muslims. In Ramadan, the heads of the families take their young boys, shave their heads completely and circumcise them as the last ten days of Ramadan approach, deemed the holiest and the most blessed of all the month.
Also, the child that fasts throughout Ramadan for the first time is given a special gift to encourage him to fast again and reward him for the behaviour, considered a sign of piety and goodness.
In the breaking-of-fast meal, the child is usually given a sweet, cold drink where a gold or silver ring is place inside as a present. The ritual signifies the beginning of a life based on piety and religious observance.
Some workers take official holidays during Ramadan, preferring to sleep during the day in the absence of coffee and cigarettes. Tempers are usually affected by the lack of food, with some people remaining irritable and nervy until they break their fast.
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency
@Aeronaut @Oscar @Leader @ANTIBODY @Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend @BLACKEAGLE @al-Hasani and others read it you would love it some things similar to Pakistan unfortunately bad ones
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 16, 2006
Algiers- Algerians differ in the way they prepare for and celebrate the Holy month of Ramadan. Most people however make it an occasion of family unity, service to society and supporting one another. However, there are the few who use the month to make illegitimate profits. Although Ramadan is supposed to be a month of mercy, generosity, good works and observing what is allowed by God, many Algerian merchants and dealers seek unlawful profits during Ramadan.
As the government imposes regulations and supervises the markets in an attempt to keep the price of goods constant during the month, these traders meanwhile raise the prices of their goods, sometimes to double. Vegetables, meet and fruit experience a huge price boom.
Perhaps the reason for this is that purchases in the weekends of Ramadan are unlike any during the year. Men and women - to an unusual degree - fill the markets and the commercial areas across the cities to buy Ramadan necessities.
Although many Ramadan traditions have changed over time in Algeria, preparations for the month remain the same. Algerians get ready for it weeks before it starts.
Religious practice, like fasting during the day and praying during the night, is common weeks before Ramadan. For women, however, the preparations are not strictly religious; setting up the house to receive guests during the month - a tradition for decades - is a must.
Before Ramadan, women take the responsibility of cleaning the house. Some women go to the extreme of totally making over the whole house; refurbishing and painting.
Algerian women usually buy new cooking utensils, which will be used in cooking the heavy meals and big banquets, and purchase new dishes.
"I am used to preparing for the holy month of Ramadan by first cleaning the house, then taking care of household matters and buying all new for the kitchen, especially dishes," says Sajiyya, a housewife in her late thirties.
But it is not only her home that Sajiyya takes care of.
"My family also helps me in washing the carpets and the mats of the district mosque. We volunteer."
Such preparations for Ramadan - taking care of mosques - are considered first and foremost spiritual; however, cleaning mosques is also the responsibility of the state during Ramadan.
Algeria's mosques, which number roughly around 15,000, undergo intensive renovation. In the months before Ramadan, religious practice and prayers in the mosques are also increased.
The word of God (the Koran) is always heard echoing from these houses of worship. Religious sermons and lectures are also common days before Ramadan starts.
Before the month, many choose to give up habits and behaviours forbidden by Islam. They usually start this "cleansing period" 45 days before the holy month starts, where people flock to mosques adding to the queues of praying worshippers. However, when Ramadan ends, many return to their old habits.
The household menu during Ramadan in Algeria can not be conceived without certain traditional dishes and foods. The Algerian soup al- Harira or al-Hisaa, as the people call it, is a must and is accompanied by home-made bread called al-Kasra. Seasonings and spices are usually added to different types of food.
Al-Buraq, bread filled with cheese and minced meat, is also a famous dish that is eaten at sohour (the last meal before the dawn) coupled with milk and cuscus. Almonds, Baklava and Zalabiya (a round donut-like sweet dipped in honey or sugar) is on the top of the long list of Arabian sweets that Algerians eat during Ramadan.
Algerians have special Ramadan traditions that distinguish them from other Muslims. In Ramadan, the heads of the families take their young boys, shave their heads completely and circumcise them as the last ten days of Ramadan approach, deemed the holiest and the most blessed of all the month.
Also, the child that fasts throughout Ramadan for the first time is given a special gift to encourage him to fast again and reward him for the behaviour, considered a sign of piety and goodness.
In the breaking-of-fast meal, the child is usually given a sweet, cold drink where a gold or silver ring is place inside as a present. The ritual signifies the beginning of a life based on piety and religious observance.
Some workers take official holidays during Ramadan, preferring to sleep during the day in the absence of coffee and cigarettes. Tempers are usually affected by the lack of food, with some people remaining irritable and nervy until they break their fast.
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency
@Aeronaut @Oscar @Leader @ANTIBODY @Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend @BLACKEAGLE @al-Hasani and others read it you would love it some things similar to Pakistan unfortunately bad ones
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