Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Egypt is famous for its unique Ramadan atmosphere that brings together family, neighbors and friends, and following two years of absence of festive gatherings in Ramadan due to the precautionary measures related to the Corona virus pandemic, a number of residents of the Matariya neighborhood of Cairo Governorate were keen to revive the atmosphere Ramadan organized the largest breakfast table in Egypt, around which thousands of fasting people gathered.
A number of photographers were able to highlight this Ramadan event, which embodies the return of the spirit of love, bonding and reunion between family and neighbors during Ramadan in Egypt this year.
The Egyptian photographer, Mohamed Wardani, tells CNN in Arabic the details of this positive scene, which reflects what the dramas circulate regarding the popular areas in Egypt, where the spirit of intimacy and cooperation lies among all.
Wardani, who was invited to participate in documenting this event, explains that the youth of the region prepare for this collective iftar before the beginning of Ramadan, where all the neighbors participate in covering the cost, and the organizers share the tasks among the people, some of whom are responsible for Ramadan drinks, and some of them are responsible for preparing certain types of The women who are housewives play the biggest role in helping the men cooks to prepare the food.
Alaa Farid, one of the organizers of the Matariya community, told CNN in Arabic that in the beginning, the goal of holding this event was to reunite and revive a custom in Matariya, and soon the goal became to gather the entire people of the area from family, neighbors and friends.
Farid explains that the length of the breakfast table reached regarding 1,000 meters, spread over two main streets and secondary streets, noting that the number of attendees was estimated at regarding 6,000 people. In the first half hour of breakfast, the table accommodated 4,500 people, following which regarding 1,500 other people sat.
Farid explains that the table included dishes of grilled chicken with rice, in addition to meat and potato casserole, as well as all kinds of appetizers, Ramadan juices, fruit dishes, and oriental sweets.
Like Wardani, Farid was keen to highlight in his pictures the popular Egyptian spirit and the feelings of goodness and compassion that unite family and neighbors, adding that Ramadan in Egypt is already a “second need”, in reference to a famous song by Emirati singer Hussein Al Jasmi.
This is not the first time that the Matariya neighborhood has witnessed this event, as it is considered a Ramadan ritual that takes place in the middle of Ramadan, which was started by the people of the neighborhood 10 years ago, except that the pandemic prevented its revival during the past two years, according to Farid, who indicates that this is the eighth time that The neighborhood witnesses the organization of the event.
Wardani describes this scene, which caught the eye on social media following the spread of many photos, saying, “It is a great scene that shows the commitment and spirit of cooperation between the people, as if they were an active beehive.”
Feelings and the atmosphere prevailed at the breakfast table that day, which Wardani recalled, saying, “Chicking feelings took us back to the beautiful time, the voices of the speakers resounding with popular Ramadan songs mixed with the laughter of young people with the elderly, while the women appeared from the balconies to watch the celebration that participated in the various families. The ages in preparing the lights and the decorations of Ramadan.
While Farid likens the atmosphere that day to a wedding and a feast for all the families, he adds: “Words fail to describe the feelings of love, joy, and loyalty to this Ramadan ritual on that day.”
Overhead scenes show a very long breakfast table in the middle of the street. See the picture above
Since 2018, the Egyptian photographer Mohamed Godo has been keen to attend the “Iftar Al Mataria” in order to document the event.
“Every year I try to come out with different angles than the previous year, and according to the conditions of the place and the available configurations, I look for the place from which I took pictures,” he told CNN in Arabic.
He continues, “The situation was different this year as many photographers attended to document the event following a two-year hiatus.”
He added, “I had to find a suitable and different place that illustrates the atmosphere of the event, the number of participants and the breakfast table, and I waited on the balcony of the house for an hour until the scene was completed and it was time for breakfast, and I was able to take this picture.”
The photos of this event achieved a wide spread on social media platforms, as Farid says that the documentation team succeeded in highlighting the effort of the entire team, which reached regarding 300 organizers, noting that the reactions exceeded expectations between local and Arab.
