STREETS were lit up and the full moon glimmered in all its glory as Gergaoun festivities took place in Bahrain last night.
Some neighbourhoods in Isa Town went the extra mile to make the evening special. The residents of Fireej Al Aamer, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Isa Town, went all out when it came to décor, games, activities, foods, giveaways and performances.
People of all ages were dressed in colourful traditional garb, as children went door to door collecting sweets, nuts, coins and small presents, and sang songs to bless the adults who give them gifts.
The celebration, known as Gergaoun, marks the birth of Prophet Mohammed’s first grandson, Hassan ibn Ali, and is a long-standing tradition observed for at least 700 years in Bahrain and nearby nations.
Despite noting that the festivities have become more and more elaborate over the decades, older residents celebrate the joyful occasion all the same.
The GDN spoke to siblings Ali, Sumayya, and Mariam Al Aamer, who grew up in the neighbourhood, and they recalled commemorating Gergaoun as children on the very street of last night’s celebration.
The eldest, 71-year-old Ali, who moved to Isa Town from Manama as a child when the residential area was founded in the 1960s, reminisced about the mid-Ramadan festival.
“When we were kids, everything was so simple. They didn’t distribute chips or give away food, it was just chickpeas, peanuts and sweet-coated nuts. Everything is different now,” he said.
Mr Al Aamer added that the aging population of the neighbourhood, coupled with many of the locals moving to other places, had changed the atmosphere, but traditions continued to thrive regardless.
He showcased a spread of homemade treats set on a table outside his family home, including desserts lugaimat and khabees, along with kabab Bahraini (deep fried vegetable balls), warm tea and Arabic coffee.
Last night, Fireej Al Aamer also hosted the Al Hassam traditional band, and a dancing freysa, a wooden horse costume worn by a person who performs along with the band.
Sisters Khulood, Nawal and Salha Alshawoosh, whose parents’ house is opposite Mr Al Aamer’s home, also recalled when times were simpler.
“When we were kids, the festivities would start after we leave Taraweeh prayers,” younger sister Khulood told the GDN. “When costumes, decoration and goodies were simpler, the presents we were given felt like they were worth more.”
According to historian Fuad AlShakar, the moonlit celebration was described in the chronicles of the prolific 14th century Arab traveller Ibn Battuta.
Nearly 700 years ago, the explorer witnessed Gergaoun during his journey to Medina, which he recorded in the Travels of Ibn Battuta.
The tradition is said to have begun when Prophet Mohammed’s daughter Fatima handed out coloured sugar cubes in celebration of her firstborn, Hasan.
It is often compared to Halloween when it comes to the dressing up and going door-to-door, but the two do not have much else in common.
Boys wearing traditional thobes, embroidered vests and hats came to the event, as well as girls wearing bukhnaq, a head-dress embellished with golden threads, and thobe nashal, a garment worn over their dress.
Meanwhile, the Royal Humanitarian Foundation held the Annual Ramadan Festival for its children at Arad Fort, while the Southern Governorate organised an event at the Khalifa Al Kabeer Park in Riffa.
On the Pearling Path in Muharraq, the Sami Al Malood band walked from the Siyadi Majlis to the Haneen Sedra Exhibition, with children accompanying the band.
The annual ‘Happiness Bus’ roadshow toured around and distributed candy and presents from Muharraq to Manama last night, and will continue its tour today at the Northern and Southern Governorate.
The Northern Governorate will also mark the annual celebrations today at District 1, Janabiya starting 9pm.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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