The people who stand at the side of the road to help people break their fast during Ramadan

In Egypt during Ramadan, right as the sun is about to set, you will find lots of helpful souls trying to collect their good deed points (hassanat in Arabic) by standing outside and offering bottles of cold water and dates to the unfortunate people who find themselves stuck on the roadways in traffic, or late for arriving at their final destination of food with family and friends. This considerate act is but one example of the many kind acts you find in Egypt on a frequent basis.

Blurry shot - but this is table ready with water to distribute

The Ramadan Cannons

Dating back to the Fatamid period in Egypt, cannons have been used to announce when it is time to break one's fast during Ramadan, as a way of sending a signal that everyone could hear and recognize. The tradition continues today, though I believe most people hear the cannon over the radio or television set than by their own ears.

Working out at the gym before breaking your fast during Ramadan

After fasting an entire day from sunrise to sunset, a workout just before eating is a great way to burn calories and get in shape, as well as stave off the holiday extra kilos.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Khoshev

This is one of my favorite fabulous things about Ramadan. Khoshev is the first thing you eat after you break your fast at sunset. It can be made in a number of ways, but the basic recipe is dates, with prunes, apricots, raisins, soaked in either water or milk. You prepare this first thing in the morning, so by the time you break your fast, the water/milk has taken on all the sweetness of the dates and raisins, etc. and tastes fabulously delicious.