Ramadan in Iraq is characterized by inherited customs, some of which have become subject to extinction due to the changes associated with the modern lifestyle, and the turmoil that shook the country in the last twenty years.
One of the Ramadan customs in Iraq is the appearance of “Al-Mashraji”, a famous folkloric character who is called in some countries “Al-Masharati”, as in some regions of Iraq, he is called “Abu Tabl”, in reference to the instrument he carries, the “drum” that he beats while Before dawn, he wanders the streets reminding residents to eat the suhoor meal before the dawn call to prayer.
The people of Baghdad were completely dependent on “Al-Mashraji” to wake them up and considered it one of the basics of the month of fasting, but with the development and the emergence of modern hours, the role of this character weakened, and it almost disappeared, especially in the years of security turmoil.
The researcher in Baghdad’s heritage, Yasser Al-Obaidi, believes that “life is accelerating, and there have been radical changes due to the media and social networking sites, but the city has remained partially preserved in customs, while other customs have disappeared, such as Qaskhoon, the storyteller who sits in the café telling stories, Television has taken its place.
Al-Obaidi added, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, that maintaining these customs now is “a kind of imitation more than the truth.”
Al Muhaibis game
The traditional “Mhaibis” game spreads remarkably in Ramadan, attracting Iraqis, players and fans, and has been practiced in popular neighborhoods and cafes for hundreds of years.
The history of the game is unknown, but experts agree that it is primarily based on physiognomy.
In the game “Al-Muhaibis”, two teams are formed with an equal number of players, and the number may reach one hundred people for each team, and a ring is hidden, and one team begins a long journey to discover the ring and snatch it from the other team.
During the past few years, the game has come back with force by forming a specialized association, sponsored by satellite channels, with the establishment of popular teams for it, which gave it a stronger presence.
exchange dishes
Among the Ramadan customs and rituals inherited in Iraq, relatives and neighbors exchange Ramadan meals with each other, where they send a quantity of their breakfast and drink to the neighbors, in a tradition that enhances the spirit of sharing and solidarity between people, and in a way that adds more intimacy and spirituality to the atmosphere of Ramadan.
Some worshipers also carry dishes of food from their homes to the mosques to form a long table with the call to prayer of Morocco, around which the mosque’s goers line up to break their fast.
Regarding this custom, Marwan al-Jubouri, a researcher in religious affairs, sees that “this custom has been inherited since time immemorial, and it comes in the context of solidarity and compassion among Muslims, where mosques were in the past far away, and there is a time between returning to homes and the end of the time for prayer, so he resorted to Iraqis to this blessed weather.”
Al-Jubouri explained to “Sky News Arabia”, that “many of the customs and traditions of the Iraqis were associated with mosques, such as providing gifts and food to the poor, and preparing them for Ramadan.”