Every year, the streets of Egypt are laden with vibrant lights, ornate lanterns and an indescribable warm vibe that can’t come from anywhere else. Ramadan has been around ever since Islam came to Egypt in the 7th century, but not all our traditions like hanging lanterns and those familiar red pieces of cloth are that old, some are more recent inventions. As such, Ramadan can mean different things to different people: to some it may mean a deep spiritual time where prayer and seeking penance is their favourite aspect, but to others the family gatherings and family time are the best aspects. This differs from person to person, but does it differ from generation to generation? And perhaps we can also answer the most important question related to Ramadan: is it sambousa or sambousak?
To the older generations that lived under the reign of Nasser. Ramadan might have a different meaning than that of those who haven't seen that way of life. So I asked 66 year old Wafaa how she sees Ramadan and how it changed from the past. She said that “Ramadan now is still fun and all, but as kids we used to play with our neighbours with lanterns and wait to get our lanterns. Kids nowadays wait for that too, but back then we would just go out to the street and play every day. Nowadays everyone is too far from each other, so you don't get to see friends and family that often. I now value Ramadan more as a religious month and the month of the Quran and Taraweeh.” She believes its Sambousak with a k and says the food is of Indian heritage and is originally called samosa.
Millennials are the children of the baby boomers who were born during Nasser’s era, and their priorities can mirror those of their parents. 30 year old Mahmoud believes that the best part of Ramadan is the religious aspect: the praying, reading Quran and religious introspection, but the second most important thing to him are the gatherings. “You get to see people you only see once a year, that could be my coworkers in my old bank, distant family members and old friends.” Mahmoud laments that weight can be an issue during Ramadan “you either lose a lot of weight or gain a lot of weight”, but nonetheless Mahmoud still enjoys Goulash and Sobya and believes that its Sambousak with a k.
Generation Z is the first generation to be born into a digital Ramadan but their views of Ramadan do not necessarily differ from other generations because of their age. To 21 year old mass communications student Ziad , "Ramadan is more than fasting. It's the time of year when I reconnect with my inner child and perform the yearly religious and family rituals, regardless of my age." He prioritises sitting with his family most of all and says that "Just being there with them on the same table sharing food and laughter brings joy to my heart." Ziad believes that it should be Sambousak with a k, so it's 3 for 3 now. To 21 year old student Habiba “it's a break from a lot of things and it's a time where I can improve my habits and spend time with my family.” Habiba finds the outings and iftars her favourite part of Ramadan where she gets to enjoy a unique time with her friends and ily that comes only once a year.family. Somehow, she believes it's sambousa without a k.
15 year old Jibreel believes that Ramadan is a “spiritual month where i disregard most of my goals to try and focus on building a greater connection with God.”. Nonetheless he also appreciates the gatherings in Ramadan and the fact that “everyone makes the effort to gather in one place to feast”. Puzzlingly, he believes it's Sambousa without a k, so that makes it 3-2.
Ramadan doesn’t seem to have changed much for everyone. It seems everyone from every generation is focused on two things: family and religion, and that’s how it should be. Traditions run deep and Ramadan’s traditions are as old as the holiday itself. However, we haven’t gotten to the bottom of how Sambousa(k) should be spelled, but perhaps the more important question is: is it filled with cheese or beef?