Mukalla: One of the most deep-rooted customs in Yemen which people perform at the end of Ramadan is called Khateem or Takhteem The word refers to the completion of reciting all of the Quran. This custom prominently exists in the southeastern province of Hadramout where most of the people embrace Sufi thoughts. In the city of Mukalla,for instance, worshippers gather after Taraweh prayers in one of the city’s mosques, reading special supplications that is read while finishing the Quran. They also recite poems bidding farewell to Ramadan. The festivities do not end in the mosque. Starting from the afternoon, vendors outside mosques sell different kinds of goods such as desert, chocolate and toys which mainly attract children. Families that live in the nearby mosques invite relatives to their houses for meals to end the fast. After quenching their thirst, people go to the mosque to witness the celebration of the completion of the Quran. Also during this time, young men from the neighbourhood compete with people by organising impressive folklore displays and other events such as wearing traditional clothes, henna dyeing and practising old manual jobs. Organisers of such events say that Khateem cements the ties of kinship and creates an atmosphere of joy and delight in the society.
