Alexandria – Some seasonal professions in Egypt flourish during the blessed month of Ramadan and add a festive atmosphere that draws a smile and happiness in all streets and squares on the faces of citizens and the sellers specialized in them, as these traditional crafts reflect the popular heritage that characterized by Egyptian society and transmitted generations for decades.
But in the recent period, despite attempts to preserve these crafts that are closely related to the atmosphere of the holy month and constitute a source of livelihood and an opportunity to improve the income of many simple people, especially in this period of the year, economic and technological transformations imposed a new reality that made its continuation as a question.
These professions, including the lanterns industry and their sale, and the places of selling kunafa, katif, and other inherited sweets, are faced, in addition to Ramadan juices through religious chanting teams, and suhoor tents, great challenges in light of technological developments, economic changes, and the consumption patterns, which puts their workers in front of a difficult equation between preserving heritage and keeping pace with the times.
Lanterns
Inside a small workshop in one of the alleys of the Mansheya area in Alexandria, in northern Egypt, the uncle of Abdel Rahman, as he calls, is a sixty craftsman, amid piles of metal lanterns and colored glass, engaging in fixing the pieces of copper motifs on one of the large lanterns from which the lights of faint lamps are reflected on his face, and he gives him features that carry a mixture of fatigue and love for what he makes.
He says to Al -Jazeera Net, passing his hand on a decorated copper lamp. Compared to previous years. “
The man proudly confirms that this craft will remain despite all the changes, considering that the Egyptian lantern will remain present in every home, because it is not just decorations, but a memory, warmth and a piece of Ramadan heritage.
Despite the challenges facing traditional lanterns due to the spread of imported batteries and the frequency of recorded songs, there are still customers who insist on the acquisition of the Egyptian lantern.
“A time lantern has a different taste, the smell of the metal, its colored glass, and the sound of the candle while it is burning inside … this is the real Ramadan,” says Salma Hassanein, a 6 -year -old mother.
Kunafa
In a narrow alley in one of the ancient neighborhoods of Alexandria, the fresh kunafa and the hot drops offered to the customers, to fill the atmosphere with the distinctive Ramadan flavor, and behind a small glass facade, Hassan Al -Kanafani stands in his white robe stained with flour stains, and with an expert hand pouring a dough on a rotating tray, and in a way that attracts passers -by formed under his fingertips the golden kunafa with accurate threads.
He continues the good flame movement under the tray of the Konafa, and says, “This workmanship has inherited it from Abu Wajdi, and nothing matches the taste of fresh kunafa made by hand … The machine accelerates the work, but it does not give it the soul.”
Uncle Hassan laughs and then raises his hand to turn a new dough, saying that “the market is witnessing continuous changes and decline in the purchasing movement as a result of price fluctuations,” stressing that this profession will remain as long as Ramadan “returns every year carrying people longing for these golden sweets.”
Harvesting
Abroad, buyers crowd in front of the shop, some of them came to take their share of hot products, and others watch the scene with smiles that bring them back to childhood memories, while in the corresponding the corner one of the Qatayef makers sitting, the liquid dough flows from his copper scoop on the hot sheet, so the grains of Qatayef form one by one, take their distinctive golden color, then raised quickly To be stacked next to some of them before presenting to the audience fresh.
“Despite the dominance of the major factories that produce these products ready with huge machines, the traditional sweets still have its clients who come in search of the original taste; the Knafa made with the hand has a special charm, with the taste of true Ramadan, and whatever the world develops we will continue here every year,” says Alaa Abu Samra, one of the customers, who carries quantities of Kunafa and Qatif just out of the fire.
Suhoor tents
The tents of suhoor and Ramadan evenings have always been a tradition that attracts many, as they enjoy religious chants and heritage arts, but the spread of modern cafes and digital broadcasting platforms significantly affected this aspect of Ramadan.
“We used to salute Ramadan evenings in cafes and tents, but now the turnout has become weak, and many prefer to see offers online instead of direct attendance,” says vocalist Hassan Abdel Rahim.
“With the decline in demand for live performances, popular artists are trying to adapt to the digital age by broadcasting their concerts via social media, hoping to reach a broader audience.”
Economic pressure
The head of the Egyptian Forum for Economic Studies, Dr. Rashad Abdo, tells Al -Jazeera Net, “Ramadan professions are part of an informal seasonal economy, directly affected by the movement of markets and consumer decisions … increasing economic pressures and the decline in the purchasing power of citizens contributed to changing consumer customs of the Egyptians, and the consumer has become looking for cheaper alternatives, which led to a decline in demand for handmade products, such as craft lanterns and sweets Traditional, in the interest of industrial and imported alternatives.
Abdo adds that although many craftsmen adhere to their Ramadan profession, economic and technological challenges cast a shadow over the future of these traditional industries and make their continuation more difficult, explaining that most of the monsoon owners suffer from the decline in demand for their products due to high prices, high prices of raw materials and increasing dependence on imported products, which reduces their profit margin.
Economist Mohamed Fawzi believes that the month of Ramadan is witnessing an economic movement that revives the movement of buying and selling in the markets, which is a commercial opportunity that does not compensate for many people, especially the simple people to obtain a suitable income that helps them to improve their living conditions and confront economic burdens, and despite this, the outcome of the return is not sufficient for living burdens and their needs and many seasonal professionals looking for other opportunities for the rest of the year to improve family income.
“There is no doubt that inflation and the high prices of raw materials have a severe impact on craftsmen, and a new challenge on these professions, while the seller of lanterns or the Konafa maker was previously dependent on the usual sale in the markets and obtaining a profit guaranteed with simple capabilities, today it is competing with great traders who offer their products at economic prices that help them as the size of their trade, which led to the size of their trade Driving market for craftsmanship. “
an opportunity
But despite the challenges, Fawzi believes that there are opportunities to revive these professions through digital transformation and e -marketing, and craftsmen to keep pace with the times by exploiting social media and e -commerce platforms. Through good marketing, they can reach wider segments of consumers, such as expatriates who are looking for the traditional Ramadan atmosphere.
On the other hand, the art critic Hazem Ahmed confirms that the media was not in isolation from the formation of the features of the Mudaan month, as Ramadan series and commercial advertisements played a pivotal role in reformulating the rituals of the Holy Month, whether in terms of eating habits or even traditional Ramadan products.
“Over the past decades, these methods were not merely entertaining content, but rather contributed directly to directing and promoting new consumer patterns, whether in terms of food or even Ramadan customs, which affects the audience’s choices, and makes local products that were a basic symbol of the month in unequal competition with what these works promoted.”
And it confirms that the media, whether traditional or digital, can play a more balanced role in supporting heritage and traditional professions and maintaining their presence in the Ramadan scene through the production of media materials that highlight their cultural and economic value, pointing to the existence of television programs and on social media that began to be interested in highlighting the traditional crafts, but this interest is still limited compared to modern recreational content.
