The day to celebrate Garangao [Ga-ran-ga-oh] (or sometimes called Gir-ga-oon) is coming up!
Garangao celebrated on the 14th day of Ramadan, is special to the Gulf region, particularly Qatar, and is believed to have its roots in the pearl-diving tradition of the region. It's a special celebration for kids to enjoy the success of having fasted half of the Holy Month of Ramadan. This year it will be celebrated on 24 March 2024.
On Garangao night, children clad in their traditional clothes come out of their homes and knock on every door in their neighbourhood, which will be ready to receive them with sweets and nuts. They collect the goodies in their special bags hanging loosely from their necks. Kids will be seen wandering around the streets until late into the night, singing the special Garangao song.
Now people are not just interested in buying the goodies, but they also go for the specially designed packets and bags decorated with popular cartoon characters and other symbols dear to the children. The prices of these packets range from QR 5 to QR 50, according to the size and variety of the goodies.
Several organisations in Qatar have been instrumental in popularising the festival by creating various cultural events to mark the occasion.
Here’s the song! Play it out loud! Watch & listen to the Garangao Song here!
Garangao Girga oh.
Atoona allah yateekum
Bayt Mecca ya wadeekum
Ya Mecca Yal mamoora
Yam il salasil wal thahab ya noora
Atoona min mal allah
Yislam lakum Abdulla.
Now, this part of the song is special. You usually end it with the family name or the name of the father of the house (if you know it). So the ending of the song changes. For example:
Khalifa:
Atoona dahbat leefa
Salam Ala Khalifa
Garangao Girga oh
Give us what God gave you
To Mecca, he’ll take you
The greatly filled Mecca
Covered with tassels, gold and light
Give us what God has given
Abdulla greets you with smiles
Khalifa:
Please give me a bit of sweets
Please say hi to Khalifa.
And, if you're looking for more Ramadan-related information in Qatar, there's only one place to go--Ramadan.qa!
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