Cairo: Thousands of people this week packed alleyways of a working-class area in the Egyptian capital to celebrate the 10th anniversary of an annual gathering to end the day-long fast at sunset in Ramadan.
Known as the Matariya iftar after its venue in the populous district of the same name, this year’s event saw an estimated 10,000 people showing up from inside the area in eastern Cairo and beyond, according to organisers.
Some 750 tables were arrayed stretching for more than 1,000 metres across seven alleyways against the background of houses bedecked with Ramadan-themed decorations, graffiti and festive balloons and lights. Attendants at this year’s party wore shirts emblazoned with the phrase “the 10th year of neighborliness and companionship”.
Participants also displayed solidarity with the Gaza Strip, the target of a devastating Israeli military campaign for nearly six months.
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They chanted in unison, “With soul and blood, we sacrifice ourselves for you, Palestine,” according to social media reports.
Some local houses echoed the chant with graffiti reading, “Gaza is in the heart.”
The annual gathering is deemed Egypt’s longest iftar.
Covid break
Several Egyptian public figures as well as Muslim and Christian clergymen attended the latest edition of the mega-iftar, which has gained public and online fame over the years. They included Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, the Minister of Migration Soha Guindy and Presidential Advisor for Religious Affairs Osama Al Azhari, according to media reports.
Organised by people of Ezbat Hamada in Matariya, the banquet made its debut in 2012. It was halted for two consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event originally started with five locals coming together in front of one of their houses to share an iftar meal, organisers said. “In the following year, the number rose to 30 or 40, bringing (for the iftar) food from their houses,” recalled Ahmed Ekram, one veteran organiser.
“In the third year, the party expanded and was attended by 300 to 400 persons. As of that year, cooking started out on the street as well as inside houses,” he told Egyptian TV Extra News. But this year, around 10,000 meals were served, according to Ekram.
Preparations for the event usually start two months ahead of the designated iftar day with the cost collected via local donations. Invitations to public figures would be made two weeks in the run-up to the iftar day.
This year, organisers allocated a large space for an open-air kitchen where meals were fixed for the guests. Sweets and juices, traditionally associated with Ramadan, were served too.
Preparations are not limited to eating and drinking, though. “There are religious vocalists famous for Ramadan songs,” Ahmed Abdul Samea, another organiser, told the semi-official website Akhbar Al Youm. “They chant on that night to entertain the audience.”
