CELEBRATING TRADITION

Hundreds of children dressed up in traditional outfits and strolled into the Bahrain City Centre to celebrate the Bahraini Ramadan ritual Gergaoun and enjoy a blast from the past.

The boys were dressed in thobes and head gear including Keffiyeh, Gutra, and the Agal while the girls swung around in Daffah, the traditional Bahraini attire for females, and sported jewellery on their heads.

The mall’s galleria was decorated as a typical village by VIVA, which organised the activities to highlight entertainment events during the Holy Month.

A spokesperson for VIVA said: “These activities are aimed at reviving Bahraini crafts and reliving traditional street culture at a time when soaring summer temperatures have meant Bahraini youth are missing out on the sort of outdoor entertainment their parents grew up with.”

The event featured Arabic coffee and dates, Ramadan games such as caroms, chess, dominoes and hopscotch columns as well as a stage show where musicians performed traditional songs.Members of the Bahraini Productive Families Project also displayed their crafts and offered their products for sale.

Gergaoun falls in the middle of Ramadan and is regarded as a day to make every child feel special. After dressing up in new outfits, children visit their relatives as well as every home in the neighbourhood and fill their bags with gifts and sweets.

The City Centre offered a sneak preview of this grandeur on Sunday when families flocked to the premises to enjoy a traditional gathering in the comforts of one of their favourite shopping destinations.

Umm Hamed, a Ministry of Health employee, 45, and her family visited the mall and were in high spirits during the event. She said: “This is so gorgeous. Gergaoun is a time for the children and we celebrate it extensively in our villages as part of our custom. This is the first time that I have seen something like this within a mall and it is brilliant.”

Umm Rehan was beaming with pride as she watched her eight-year-old daughter Rehan Al Khaldi manoeuvre through the crowd, dressed up in Bahraini attire and jewellery. She said: “We celebrate Gergaoun in the villages after breaking our fast and continue until the early hours of the morning. We have been doing this for generations and it is a great time to enjoy wearing new clothes, playing games and music as well as savouring plenty of treats.”

The evening also featured a special show by cultural icon and storyteller Um Hilal who entertained the children with tales of the past.

The area will remain open from 8pm to midnight every day during Ramadan.

The Bahrain City Centre also hosted its Gergaoun programme and amused the crowd by bringing along the Freysa – a horse mascot – accompanied by drummers.

Traditionally, these mascots parade around the village during the early hours of the morning and sing loudly to wake everyone up for Sohour (a meal eaten a few hours before dawn).