Watch: Thousands gather for community iftar party in Egypt
Event debuted in 2010, but was halted for 2 years over COVID-19
Cairo: Thousands of residents in a Cairo district have recently revived their tradition of holding a mass iftar party breaking the day-long fasting in the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.
The banquet organised by people of Ezbat Hamada in Cairo’s working-class area of Matrya made its first debut in 2010, but the event was halted in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At first, the number of participants were few, but soon the idea earned admiration from more people,” said Alaa Saqr, one of the organisers, said.
Its idea is that each family shows up with its iftar meal.
“We have succeeded in making this event a sort of gathering for the Ezbat Hamada’s people and a distinguished ceremony for everyone,” he told independent newspaper Al masry Al Youm.
“All households participate according to their sources. Meals served are agreed on five or six days before the designated day for the mass iftar,” he added.
Images and footage of the event went viral on social media with around 3,000 people estimated to have attended.
The banquet this year stretched for more than 1,000 metres along the district’s streets, which were festooned with colourful lights and decorations characteristic of Ramadan in Egypt.