- Title: JERUSALEM: Palestinian youths keep Ramadan tradition alive
- Date: 9th August 2011
- Summary: JERUSALEM (AUGUST 4, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA AND BAHA GHOUSHA WALKING THROUGH OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM TO WAKE UP PEOPLE FOR EARLY RAMADAN MEAL CLOSE OF BAHA GHOUSHA BEATING ON DRUM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA SAYING: "We have been working as Mesaharaties (Ramadan drummers who wake people up for pre-dawn meal and prayer) for the past four years. This is a duty and we volunteer to do it for the people of our neighbourhood and the city as a whole. The main goal is to revive Palestinian tradition and folklore in Jerusalem and get young people accustomed to it and love it amid all the issues facing the city day after day." VARIOUS OF HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA AND BAHA GHOUSHA WALKING THROUGH ALLEYWAYS OF OLD CITY ORNAMENTS INSIDE OLD CITY VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AWAKE FOR DAWN PRAYER WAITING FOR GATE OF AL-AQSA MOSQUE TO OPEN TO PERFORM PRAYER (SOUNDBTIE) (Arabic) HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA SAYING: "With all the technical advancements, now people have watches and telephones, so they wake up that way, but when they hear us recite traditional poems that they had not heard for a long time -- for more than 20 years they have not heard them -- their love for the city returns. We like to use the opportunity for Ramadan to create something genuine for Jerusalem." VARIOUS OF HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA AND BAHA GHOUSHA CALLING PEOPLE TO WAKE UP FOR EARLY MEAL AND DAWN PRAYER IN OLD CITY ORNAMENT IN SHAPE OF CRESCENT HANGING ON BUILDING MORE HUSSAM ELDIN GHOUSHA AND BAHA GHOUSHA IN OLD CITY
- Embargoed: 24th August 2011 13:45
- Keywords:
- Location: Jerusalem, Jerusalem
- City:
- Country: Jerusalem Jerusalem
- Topics: Religion,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVAA5CL62PB88X807UMZUT9M7JQT
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Two Palestinian relatives have taken the responsibility of reviving an ancient tradition during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Hussam Eldin and Baha Ghousha roam the streets of Jerusalem, one banging on a drum while the other recites poems and sayings from folklore just before the sun ushers in a new morning, where followers start their day long fast until the sun sets again.
Known locally and in other parts of the Arab world as the Mesaharaty (Ramadan drummers who wake people up for pre-dawn meal and prayer), the duo dress in traditional outfits as they embark on their late night "duty".
"We have been working as Mesaharaties (Ramadan drummers who wake people up for pre-dawn meal) for the past four years," Hussam Eldin Ghousha.
"This is a duty and we volunteer to do it for the people of our neighbourhood and the city as a whole. The main goal is to revive Palestinian tradition and folklore in Jerusalem and get young people accustomed to it and love it amid all the issues facing the city day after day," he added.
As they beat their drum across the city, houses light up and people poke their heads out of doors and widows, shaking off their sleep ahead of a small meal before a long summer day's fast, which starts with the call for prayer at sunrise.
The centuries-old tradition lives on despite of technological advances, like alarm clocks, and is part of the festive spirit of the fasting month of Ramadan.
"With all the technical advancements, now people have watches and telephones, so they wake up that way, but when they hear us recite traditional poems that they had not heard for a long time -- for more than 20 years they have not heard them -- their love for the city returns. We like to use the opportunity for Ramadan to create something genuine for Jerusalem," Ghousha said.
During Ramadan, adult Muslims fulfill a religious obligation to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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