Beautiful Egypt – Ramadan in Egypt – May, 17, 2018

My felicitations to our Muslim brethren in Egypt, the Arab world and the entire world for the beginning of Ramadan month, wishing all the good and peace for our country, the region and the world.
The fasting period is one of the most beautiful days and the closest to the heart of the Egyptians, who, throughout their deep history, have been known for their strong love for God, blessed be His name; for they have realized that during fasting period, man gets free of his ego, training himself to submit his body and will away from his desires, pursuing his love towards God.
Ramadan in Egypt has always have a distinctive feature regarding its celebration: families and parents meet at the breakfast table, they receive it with the distinct lantern announcing its arrival (Fanous), which have been proved by researches to have a close connection with Egyptians despite various narratives regarding its use and appearance, as well as reiterating the words of an old Egyptian song “Wahawi ya Wahawi”.
Egyptian Archaeological Expert, Dr. Abdul Rahim Rihan pointed out that the origin of the words “Wahawi ya Wahawi” is an Egyptian origin as it was anciently sung to the moon: the word “Ayouh” in ancient Egyptian Language means “the moon”, and then in the Fatimid era, it became associated with welcoming the Crescent of Ramadan.
The most important thing that a person experiences during the period of fasting is much related to prayers and works of mercy. As fasting is to submit one’s self and flesh away from desires, controlling the lust of food and drink through fasting, training himself on bearing, patience and treating others gently and kindly, the prayer that accompanies fasting is an approach for the soul to God through speaking to Him, feeding soul through His divine peace that fills man’s mind and heart throughout his day.
Fast is also closely related to the works of mercy which are very precious to God, as they transmit a feeling of mercy within the human being, urging him to give the needy promptly. A person can be aware of another person’s feelings only when he goes through similar experiences to that of the other person. Therefore, a fasting person senses the demands of the needy, who may pass excessive meal times without eating any food! At a time when some of them may spend some days, unable to find their daily bread!
From such deep humanitarian point of view, Ramadan has been known for “Mawaed al-Rahman”, (The Tables of God the Merciful) which invite everyone to participate in the breakfast. Egyptians all then would share their food as one family with love and harmony. Also, we cannot forget the Ramadan Tables that were being held at the Papal Headquarter at Abbasiya, Al Azhar, the Ministry of Awqaf, with the presence of the Triple Beatified, Pope Shenouda III, His Eminence Grand Imam and the Minister of Awqaf, then it have been held among Muslims and Christians in the homeland, reflecting an image of the Egyptian people’s cohesion in celebrations and events as one family contained by one homeland.
Happy Many Returns for all of us