Lantern Market & Tentmakers Alley

8/23

Went back to the outskirts of the Kahn today, this time with a large group of newbies that were led by a woman in our Egypt culture department. She took us to see the Lantern Market, which has sprung up like crazy with the approach of Ramadan. Lanterns are only here in Egypt, at least they were originally, until other places caught on to the popularity and it continued in other cultures. The history behind it is the Lanterns were used as guides to show people when it was time to break the fast, later they started to use cannons as well, because it was hard for people not living close to the mosques to hear the caller. The lanterns were lit to signal the break of fast and then they were put out when the eating was over for the night, waiting to be lit until the next night. Ramadan is a lunar-based holiday, so we don’t know if it will be starting on the 31st or the 1st, we have to wait and see what the moon does. All I know is that I am glad that I don’t have to follow this holiday. You wake up around 4 am to have a light breakfast that has to last you until sunset. You have to wake up early because you have to eat before sunrise. There is no eating, drinking (of anything, water included), smoking, or nookie makin’ (or any such activity) taking place from sunrise to sunset. I was thinking that if I didn’t get to eat all day, I’d eat a huge breakfast and then I’d be okay for all day. The people from our Egypt culture department were saying that it actually makes you hungrier later in the day if you eat a bunch in the morning. (These people have obviously never seen me pack it down at the Waveland (mmm… breakfast special…) and not eat until dinner the next day. During Ramadan there are special prayers that are said and at sunset the fast is broken and iftar is taken. Iftar is the HUGE dinner/meal that celebrates the break of fast. These meals are really big deals and some of the older places organize mass iftars that have over 4,000 people in attendance! So there is lots of food and merriment and dancing and carrying on all night, until early in the morning. Most places are closed for Ramadan, or open much later than usual and close earlier than normal. CAC is not one of those places. We keep our regular schedule, and I am told to be prepared to have some sleepy kids in my classes! These kids try to stay up to celebrate but then still have to go to school in the morning! However, you don’t have to fast until you hit puberty. Children are not required to fast, which is good, because if I were 6 and someone told me I couldn’t have snack or lunch anymore, I would not be so happy.
Another place we saw today was tentmakers alley. The work there is amazing. The craziest thing about it to me is that all the appliqué and quilt making is done by men. None of the women work on quilts or wall hangings or anything of the sort. The work is exquisite from some and not so great from others; overall it is just so beautiful to walk along this alley, surrounded by bright and colorful fabrics and quilts all around you. I have picked out a few things in my mind and am going to have to go back! Who knows if I will have any room or money for presents for you guys back home! (I’m joking! …ish)
Lastly we ended our day in a convent. There is a French Arabic convent here that sells pottery. A newbie was looking for some plates and wanted something a little more artistic and local than the plastic stuff available in Carrefour. Once we finally tracked this place down, after asking directions from a bazillion people and one monk, we met sister Mary. Sister Mary led us inside and explained that while they do not actually make the pottery, they sell for people who are in a small village just south of Luxor. The people in the village do not have enough money to afford shops or the taxes on shops, so the nuns sell the pottery for them and give them the money. They also make whatever the nuns need and help the nuns our around the convent when they come to bring new wares. Apparently it’s a pretty great set up for all involved. The stuff they have was really cool, lots of blues and browns because it is all glazed with a local glaze made from the stuff in the village. And yes, we asked, it is food safe and oven safe, thank you very much. I picked up a few mugs and 2 cool vases, all for about 20.00 USD. Not too shabby! So that was my weekend. We like to pack a lot into the weekends, as you can tell. Right now we are deciding when to take a trip up to the Red Sea for the weekend, have some sand between the toes and saltwater in the hair.