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Ramadan in Kuwait has its own set of distinctive customs and rituals kept alive by the people. The Kuwaiti people evoke the past with all its beautiful details – from the traditional costumes and dishes, to the special Ramadan celebrations held nowadays. Several Kuwaiti families continue with the custom of organizing these celebrations during this month, because of their delightful effect on the young and the adults alike. In spite of the progress of life and civilization, these Ramadan-related customs maintain their inherent traditional color.
However, some people are of the view that these traditions have become very different from the past, as they have become more commercially oriented and little more than a means of distracting children and housewives and distancing them from the beloved traditions of the past.
Al-Kareesh
Numerous traditional Kuwaiti practices have gone out of existence, and most of the new generation does not know anything about the customs of the past; they are now reduced to sweet memories. Among these forgotten events is the day of Al-Kareesh. This name (Al-Kareesh) was designated for the last day before Ramadan, which was the last day the family would meet for lunch before they started fasting. The next day, they would all be waiting for the sound of the cannon to announce the time for breaking the fast. On this day, an elaborate lunch is prepared and all the family members gather around it, since this would be their last meeting for lunch before Ramadan.
This reminds one of the bygone days, when houses were of mud and bricks. In those days, I could smell the pleasant odor of traditional Kuwaiti food coming from the neighboring houses. Lunch used to be served immediately after Thuhr (the afternoon prayer), and neighbors would exchange dishes with each other minutes before lunch. After the Thuhr prayer, all the family members would gather around a table that included a variety of dishes that were either cooked at home, or presented by neighbors and acquaintances. During this family meeting, people would joke over the meal, reminding each other that this would be the last meal, as they would be fasting the next day and would not be eating during the day.
Ramadan in the past
Like elsewhere in the Muslim world, people in Kuwait fasted during the day and prayed during the night. They would recite the Quran and were proud of the number of times they completed reciting it during the holy month. Some of them would complete reading the whole Quran six or seven times, and they spent the nights praying At-Taraaweeh (voluntary night prayers). Even today, the Kuwaiti people exhibit their generous nature, as they spend large sums of money in charity by serving Iftaar meals in the Masjids for the needy.
During the nights of Ramadan, the markets become crowded with people, as all the shops open after prayer, and relatives and friends exchange visits.
The cannon
Every day, children celebrate the firing of the cannon to break the fast at sunset, which is called Al-Waaridah. In the afternoon, they gather around the cannon, and when it is fired, all of them cheer with joy.
Abu Tabeelah (the man of the drum)
This was the person who would awaken people to have their Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal before daybreak) every night. I remember him staying up late at night, and moving around the neighborhood saying, "[There is] No god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger," to motivate people to wake up and have their Suhoor. Some people would serve him dishes like Al-Harees and At-Tashreeb, and so on, until the end of Ramadan. In the end, he bid farewell to the month in a melancholic tone, saying, "Farewell, farewell Ramadan, farewell the month of fasting!"
Meals in Ramadan
Kuwaiti tables have retained various dishes over the decades that are passed from generation to generation. The most important among these dishes, which is found at every meal in Kuwait is Al-Harees. It is made of mashed wheat with meat, to which a mixture of sugar and clarified butter with ground cinnamon is added before serving it. Another popular dish that is served at Iftaar in every household is At-Tashreeb, which is a yeast bread cut into small pieces, with gravy containing gourd, potatoes and dry lemons from Oman. The Kuwaiti people prefer At-Tashreeb because it is easily made, easily digested and has a delicious taste. Another popular dish in Ramadan is Al-Jareesh, which is also made of wheat.
Special sweets are made in Kuwait during Ramadan. The most popular among them is Luqmat Al-Qaadi, which is made of milk, cardamom, butter, saffron and fermented dough cut into small bite-size balls and fried in boiling fat until they redden, then placed in sugar syrup or molasses. What distinguishes the Kuwaiti sweets in Ramadan is their sweet taste and rich aroma, as they are made of fragrant and flavorful spices like cardamom, saffron, and ground cinnamon. They also have delicious coffee, which is made of boiled saffron with a little sugar. In the past, the Kuwaiti people used to serve special dishes in their Ramadan soirees, particularly in the divans that stay open till the late hours of the night called Al-Ghibqah. However, the Ghibqah nowadays differs in its form and content from that of the past. Nowadays, the Ghibqah has fatty food, and it is served very late, close to the time of As-Suhoor. In contrast, the Ghibqah in the past was served not later than ten in the night, and contained popular snacks like Al-Bajillah, An-Nakh-khi, Al-Mehallabeyah, Khubz Ar-Ruqaaq and special Kuwaiti sweets like Az-Zalabyah, Al-Luqaymaat, Al-Ghurayyibah and Baydh Al-Quttah.
The night of Al-Qadr
Like Muslims all over the world, the night of Al-Qadr has a special place in the hearts of the Kuwaiti people. Thousands of them long for it every year and gather in the Masjids to supplicate Allah The Almighty to drive away worries and grief, and to safeguard their country from evils. The Kuwaiti people prepare themselves for the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in order to spend it worshipping Allah The Almighty in several Masjids all over the country. Special preparations are made for this night because of the increasing number of worshippers, as the people in general, and the youth in particular, become more attached to their religion and its commandments.
Another distinct practice that takes place in most mosques during the blessed month of Ramadan is I'tikaaf, where people leave everything behind, abandon the comfort they enjoy at home and reside in the mosque in order to devote and dedicate themselves for worship during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
Many mosques around the country distribute the Iftaar meal (the meal at sunset to break their fast) throughout the month and particularly during the last ten days of Ramadan.
The Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the State of Kuwait. Located on Arabian Gulf Road opposite Seif Palace. Its area spans 45,000 square meters, out of which the building itself covers 20,000 square meters.
The Grand Mosque can accommodate up to 10,000 men in the Main Prayer Hall and it has a separate Daily Prayer Hall for men also. A Ladies’ Prayer Chamber is located on a level above, which can hold up to 950 female worshippers.
During the Last Ten Nights of Ramadan, around 180,000 people attend the Grand Mosque to pray the Taraaweeh prayers.
