Life in the past is characterized by its simplicity compared to the present, but the program of family life throughout the months of the year fifty years ago finds it organized and controlled by customs, traditions and customs that do not depart from the Islamic framework. the teachings and month of Ramadan at that time has its own system, rituals, customs and traditions with which the people of Jeddah have been accustomed since old age, and many families, despite changing living conditions, still retain what is left of that regime of Ramadan. , especially the elderly. In this context, Khaled Salah Abu Al-Jadayel, who is interested in the history of the city of Jeddah, said: It is surprising that every time ten days of Ramadan pass, you see that the family program of Ramadan begins to take on a other form and spontaneously. does not feel like a human being The last ten days of Ramadan are devoted to a lot of work and preparation; Included, for example: painting the house from the inside, so they went from the marble phase of white marble houses, to using brightly colored paints like Abu Shaybah paint, which was one of the most popular brands in that time and from Britain.Furniture of the house, placement of upholstered furniture, dusting of the venerable “floor furniture” and wiping and polishing of mirrors that were covered with dust throughout the month of Ramadan. He says: I do not know what the wisdom of this is. Clean the artificial flower vases and place the purchased flowers in place of those that have been in the vase since last year.
Abu Al-Jadayel added: The head of the family brought supplies for the cooking of Eid food and the most prominent dishes that were cooked: manzala or mezza, large or sour meat, dried molokhia, saqqat and dabiza, the ingredients of which are. hazelnuts, pine nuts, kaka, qilada, apricots and cashews, and there are those who like their other foods, such as white beans and kebabs, and the wisdom behind the multiplication of food items on Eid is that the housewives prepared. these items to suffice families for the four days of Eid; Most of the shops in the markets are closed, and families can also dedicate themselves to welcoming their guests during the days of Eid, and preparations are made for the preparation of food items in the last two days of Ramadan. Abu Al-Jadeel mentioned that the family should prepare these items a quantity of lamb, which is one of the basic ingredients for its preparation, with the exception of debiyazah; Where these items were prepared in copper metal containers; So we find some so far, when it comes to cleaning cooking utensils, to say: so-and-so washes copper, in relation to the copper pots used at the time. And he added: It is one of the things that the head of the family wants to buy at the end of Ramadan; Because it is part of the breakfast table on the first day of Eid: pickles, olives of all kinds, tarshi, al-Ashar, al-Anba, mamoul, sweet, coffee, mahogany, puree, handkerchief, cheese and jam, and there are some families who like quince fruit jam, so it is prepared and prepared by housewives.
He continued: Some families were inclined to buy boxes made of oval-shaped wood from Syria and Jordan that include a variety of kunafa and baklava stacked in layers. Families also want to buy a quantity of bread to suffice for the four days of Eid. ; Because in the past the bakeries did not work during the Eid period. He continued: “Even the housewife helps her daughters prepare Eid clothes after washing and ironing and buying shoes, even school sneakers, the most famous of which was the” Bata “brand, which is included in buying Eid clothes, among the necessary things were cloth scarves of different colors and shapes, which I believe are no longer used, as in the past and were. replaced with paper napkins that were discarded after their use. Then comes the stage of buying Eid sweets from the stalls that were and still are held in front of the Akash Mosque, like Abu Sabin and Fakhri, and the Bab Makkah market, white and brown with pistachios, candy and narcissus, then sweet. boxes, the most prominent of which are the Macintosh sweets or the Colati street, then there were many types and shapes, and the sweets shops were abundant in various parts of the city of Jeddah. He pointed out that the ingredients of Saudi coffee and juices were bought, where the most prominent was mango juice, Taro, Ward, Abar and Zinni, while the other Qaha juice, can be bought in five types of perfumes, which are: Layali Paris, Ward , Mohamed Nour Jamjoom and his brothers, Reef Dor, Remag, Centalia and finally Lemon Perfume. Abu Al-Jadeel concluded by saying: The last preparation for the last ten days of Ramadan is the purchase of zakat al-fitr, in the past love was bought and then it was spent on buying one of the types of rice and the amount purchased is enough for it. all family members.