The fasting month of Ramadan is considered the fourth pillars of the five fundamental bases on which Islam is built.

The obligation to fast was founded for the Muslims, in the second year of Hijri, by the revelation of this verse of Quran: “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious) ». (Sourate 2, verse 183)

Far from confining to the physical abstinence and its capacity to go for a while the fast mobilizes all the faculties of the man, physical, intellectual and spiritual in the service of Allah.

The benefits of fasting are innumerable and known to the Muslims and non Muslims as well.

- Spiritual advantages of fasting:
Fasting makes it possible to test the endurance of the man/women, to strengthen their piety, its will, its fear of ALLAH. It particularly teach us the patience and the self-control

- Social benefits of fasting :
The fast accustoms society to more justice, more charity, more equality… Family visits give a blow of momentum to the social interaction of the members of the same community. Ramadan teach us also the sense of solidarity of cohesion and compassion towards the most underprivileged social layers.

- Physical advantages of the fast :
The purifying virtues of fasting on a society are unanimously recognized by modern medicine. The stomach is quite rested which is good for health.

After the "adhan " (Call for prayer) my mother brought the “sejada” (prayer mat) to my father “mosalli” for the “salat el Maghreb” (sunset prayer), while my brothers and me impatiently await the "iftar” (break of the fast) for him to say “tekabel allah” (may god accepts your prayer) as soon as he finishes his prayer.

Then, we took literally of assault any sort of delicious dishes to be begun by the chorba " lsen asfour " or " frik " served in a "tepsi" (flat dish) decorated with crumbled fish " trilia " (red mullets) with meat fragments of poultry, the "brik" simmered (plotted) under slow fire with the most fragrant ingredients (tuna, minced meat, eggs " arbi " onion, parsley) then comes the dishes of the dinner of rich and varied pastas (spaghettis " douida jeria " macaroni salsa "fell") bought loose from the “attar”.

While we dine, the TV forwards religious songs and “dhikr allah” (99 names), Tunisian, Syrian and Egyptian TV serials as well as “fawazir” animation are shown a long the famous actress Egyptienne Nelly.

Well before the TV and precisely in the fifties people were charmed and captivated by the series “haj klouf” in the radio called also TSF or limps with noises.

Once a week king couscous “bisman” (salted butter melted which can be preserved a certain time and which is added to couscous) cover of “mkeb” sometime “kamounia” (ragout of pieces of meat and liver whose thick sauce is with cumin), “mermez” (ragout of sheep with chickpeas), “marqa” (ragout of sheep with potatoes), “tajine” often of the bread bought directly from bakeries “sidiboufendar, kahouaji, chiha” and sometimes I mistakenly pass from these consistent ragouts which we adore and finish with dry fruits of the season.

The evening is often decorated with impossible to circumvent “makroudh” the “zlabia and mkharek” mixed with “the” and “bondok” (pinions) or a Turkish coffee prepared in a “zazoua " to which a drop of orange flower is added.

During the first hours of the day, local markets are full with savors, odors and colors. People come carrying their “koffa” (baskets, pack) particularly to fill it in with fresh meat and vegetables.

On the pavements, competition is at its full between small salesmen with “malsouka” (fine wafers containing semolina used to make the brik, tajine malsouka and the samsa), “tabouna” (wafers) of “adham arbi” (farm eggs)

The shops are authorized to open during the evening only starting from 2nd half of the sacret moth. The children are glad to generally buy new clothes from the sale of carpets made by their mom.

Pastry makings never cease. the “ftayri” change his products and choose the “zlabia and mkharek”. other occasional merchants also transform into salesman of zlabia, bouza, halwa…

After the prayers, the coffees are full of “chicha” smokers, “cartes” players as “chkoba, belotes and ramis”.

Others “zoufria” (a word finds its origin of the workmen because they were modest conditions) clandestinely play the “noufi” (card decks of origin Italian. called the poker or Tunisian baccara) severely repressed by the law and expressly prohibited by Quran.

In Kairouan, it there no mixed coffees shops. The women are satisfied by visiting each others.

With the approach of Aïd it is the unrestrained race with the dry fruits (almonds, pistachios, peanuts…).

The women help each other to prepare pastry in makings the “GhraÏba, Baklaoua, Bachkoutou” (dry cookies), “kaak” (small cake of circular form powdered with anise grains) then the children transport them to the bakery “el houma” (district) by whole plates on the top of their head. Because it should be known that the baker of Kairouan, in addition to the making of bread, they are able to cook pastries for their clients.

In the city of Kairouan, there is no special coffe shop for the “fattara” (people who do not observe the fast during Ramadan).

For the period of the Ramadan and in a quasi-family atmosphere, the “chooba” (cells of the RCD) organize meals of iftar to needy people.

Several religious ceremonies are celebrated during the holy month of which conquest of Badr, day of Quraan, night of destiny (that which precedes the twenty seventh day by Ramadan), the finishing of Quraan, the circumcision for the children…

During second half of the holy month, the shops open their gates during nigh time. The old medina, knows a very strong agitation largely attended by women who buy clothes for the children. Others get gifts for engagement “moussem” (Aïd occasion)

During all the month of Ramadan, people of Kairouan attend much the mosques for the “el acha” prayer (evening prayer“ then comes prayer of “tarawih” (A long and optional prayer that is carried out after el acha prayer which contains a twenty or so kneeling and it might last more than one hour). Usually, people make clean up at the “midha” (water room) for ablutions of rigor.

Others return to the mosque at two o'clock in the morning in big numbers to make the special prayer called “tahajed” and a small number of them leave for “omra” (small pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina)

At the end of the night and with the approach of the dawn “bou tbila” awakes you with the sound of the “bendirs” (percussion instrument) to take a last meal “shour” before “l’imsak” (beginning of the fast) composed of dairy products “raieb (curdled milk) lben (butter milk), bouza (sweetened cream containing starchy food, semolina, maïzena, sorghum and some fruits), ricotta or sometimes the very delicious “masfoufbilromane”… (sweetened couscous powdered with olive oil mixed with grenades grains). The grenades can be replaced by grape, dried grapes or by dates.

Finally note for the history that breaking the fast “iftar” was announced a long time using trumpets on the minarets of the mosques. Thereafter the Othomans (Turks) brought the gun installed on the “brija” (tower located behind the large mosque and which was used a long time as coffee shop in the sixties).

Since a decade almost, the gun was replaced by high speakers installed on the minarets of the mosques, by the radio (Tunis, sfax, Monastir, Gafsa and Tataouine) and on the T.V for the only inhabitants of Tunis and suburbs

“Ramdanekom mabrouk” (good Ramadan)

Mohamed Rebai
info@kairouan.org