iftar.
Net als kerst bij ons is ramadan behoorlijk commercieel geworden.
Maar bepaalde tradities blijven, zie het stuk uit de Peninsula.
Andere aanpassingen in de loop der jaren zijn langzaam binnengedrongen.
Zo zijn er nu wel veel winkels open gedurende de dag. Maar de restaurants gaan open om vijf maar serveren pas na zessen. Alle winkelcentra zijn ook open tot een uur 's nachts.
We hebben de afgelopen twee dagen ons dagelijkse bakkie bij starbucks in alle rust kunnen nuttigen. We konden voor de deur parkeren en rustig zitten. Alleen de Carrefour was open en pas na half acht de rest van Villagio. Pas na het gebed, het breken van de vasten en familiebezoek komen de meeste locals naar het winkelcentrum dus om een uur of tien is het weer 'gewoon' druk. Toen lagen wij al weer op een oor ;)
Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Mohammed Iqbal
Doha • The hosts of many Iftars held at mosques around the city on Monday had to scurry around in order to replenish the Ramadan goodies, which disappeared quickly from the tables due to a huge turnout.
At several locations, the food served was not enough to meet the demand and guests had to leave disappointed. In at least two places, there was no food at all, as the restaurants responsible for supplying the meals failed to meet their commitment.
The free Iftars, offering sumptuous meals, have become extremely popular among residents over the past few years, particularly the low-income workers. Entry is open to all, including non-Muslims.
"On the first day, we arranged food according to a rough calculation based on last year's turnout. However, the response was beyond our calculations as the number of visitors doubled at some locations compared to last year. Food was in short supply at a few places. This problem has now been resolved as we have made arrangements to increase the quantity," said a volunteer of Qatar Charity, hosts of daily Iftars at a dozen locations.
The organisation has contracts with five Arab restaurants to provide the daily meals. The items include dates, fruit juices and rice served with mutton or chicken, alternately.
This year, the organisers have set up Iftar tents at all major locations considering the hot weather.
"We have volunteers at all the places to supervise the Iftars," said another volunteer. "Normally, a large plate of meal is served for five people. Sometimes the same would be shared by six or seven people if there is a sudden increase in the turnout. We cannot stop anyone from coming, since Iftar is open to all, including non-Muslims," he said.
A majority of the beneficiaries are low-income workers while a number of people from the middle-income segment are also attracted to the free meals. These gatherings present a cross section of the resident population in Qatar across different nationalities. "We have also a few non-Muslim guests every day," said the volunteer.
The Zakat Fund, which has organised daily Iftars at 23 locations, is expecting a total turnout of around 600,000 people, with a 40 percent increase compared to last year. The Fund has allocated QR14m for the project in view of an expected increase in the turnout.
The Qatar Red Crescent and the Eid bin Mohammed Charity Association are the other two leading organisations that have lined up daily Iftars throughout the month. A number of community forums are also organising Iftar parties for their members and well-wishers.
Maar bepaalde tradities blijven, zie het stuk uit de Peninsula.
Andere aanpassingen in de loop der jaren zijn langzaam binnengedrongen.
Zo zijn er nu wel veel winkels open gedurende de dag. Maar de restaurants gaan open om vijf maar serveren pas na zessen. Alle winkelcentra zijn ook open tot een uur 's nachts.
We hebben de afgelopen twee dagen ons dagelijkse bakkie bij starbucks in alle rust kunnen nuttigen. We konden voor de deur parkeren en rustig zitten. Alleen de Carrefour was open en pas na half acht de rest van Villagio. Pas na het gebed, het breken van de vasten en familiebezoek komen de meeste locals naar het winkelcentrum dus om een uur of tien is het weer 'gewoon' druk. Toen lagen wij al weer op een oor ;)
Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Mohammed Iqbal
Doha • The hosts of many Iftars held at mosques around the city on Monday had to scurry around in order to replenish the Ramadan goodies, which disappeared quickly from the tables due to a huge turnout.
At several locations, the food served was not enough to meet the demand and guests had to leave disappointed. In at least two places, there was no food at all, as the restaurants responsible for supplying the meals failed to meet their commitment.
The free Iftars, offering sumptuous meals, have become extremely popular among residents over the past few years, particularly the low-income workers. Entry is open to all, including non-Muslims.
"On the first day, we arranged food according to a rough calculation based on last year's turnout. However, the response was beyond our calculations as the number of visitors doubled at some locations compared to last year. Food was in short supply at a few places. This problem has now been resolved as we have made arrangements to increase the quantity," said a volunteer of Qatar Charity, hosts of daily Iftars at a dozen locations.
The organisation has contracts with five Arab restaurants to provide the daily meals. The items include dates, fruit juices and rice served with mutton or chicken, alternately.
This year, the organisers have set up Iftar tents at all major locations considering the hot weather.
"We have volunteers at all the places to supervise the Iftars," said another volunteer. "Normally, a large plate of meal is served for five people. Sometimes the same would be shared by six or seven people if there is a sudden increase in the turnout. We cannot stop anyone from coming, since Iftar is open to all, including non-Muslims," he said.
A majority of the beneficiaries are low-income workers while a number of people from the middle-income segment are also attracted to the free meals. These gatherings present a cross section of the resident population in Qatar across different nationalities. "We have also a few non-Muslim guests every day," said the volunteer.
The Zakat Fund, which has organised daily Iftars at 23 locations, is expecting a total turnout of around 600,000 people, with a 40 percent increase compared to last year. The Fund has allocated QR14m for the project in view of an expected increase in the turnout.
The Qatar Red Crescent and the Eid bin Mohammed Charity Association are the other two leading organisations that have lined up daily Iftars throughout the month. A number of community forums are also organising Iftar parties for their members and well-wishers.
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