Colorful Ramadan tradition

KUWAIT CITY, March 27: Girgian (Eid of the Children) is an annual celebration during Ramadan when groups of children wearing costumes and singing songs visit homes to request for Girgian goodies, reports Al-Rai daily.

Girgian is considered one of the ancient customs and traditions that everyone is keen to celebrate, but it has developed in recent years and taken a different form in terms of advance preparation of clothes and costumes and the variety of sweets offered to children. It now lacks simplicity and spontaneity, up to the point that it became the subject of criticism like the recent gathering in Yarmouk when crowds entered the area to celebrate the occasion, prompting the Ministry of Interior to regulate entry to the area and limit it to the residents.

This Ramadan celebration began in the rest of the regions, after breaking the fast, with groups of young people moving between homes, singing songs and requesting various Girgian goodies from the neighbors, while wearing traditional costumes, amid festive appearances that adhere to the authentic heritage in order to preserve it from extinction despite the passage of years and modern development factors.

It is worth mentioning that developments have occurred in the traditional Ramadan character of Girgian as it is now held in commercial complexes and markets, instead of children moving between homes and praying for the families: “Save their son, O Allah, spare him for his mother.” Some even composed new songs and melodies that keep pace with the age, while cooperative societies and public benefit societies organize such event for the residents where they are located.