Paper or plastic?
Decorating the streets and alleys for Ramadan is one of Egypt's oldest traditions. Yasmine Fathi takes a walk
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Ramadan decorations obliterate the sky; a paper mosque hangs over the inhabitants of a Cairnene alleyway
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Walking through Cairo's better-off neighbourhoods on a Ramadan evening reveals elegant lanterns hanging from apartment buildings or standing proudly in the lobbies of five-star hotels. But veer off into one of the city's many kaleidoscopically-lit alleys for a genuine taste of one of the holy month's most cherished traditions: street decorating. Coloured light bulbs are strung from building to building and lamppost to lamppost. Strings of triangular plastic decorations highlight shops and homes. Miniature mosques and lanterns hang suspended between balconies. In some streets the decorations are so condensed they create a dazzling curtain that blocks out the sky.
"For us the most important part is to share in creating a festive atmosphere," explained Mohamed Noah, a house painter in the Sayeda Zeinab district.
Although street decorating is usually the job of boys in their mid- to late-teens, adults and young children are also involved in the joy.
"After we discuss how we will decorate our street, we calculate the budget and divide it evenly between the residents of the apartments," explained Gomaa Shwat in the Al-Arab district. Shwat pointed out that despite the current economic crunch neighbours never hesitate to chip in for the project because it is obligatory for each street to outdo the others in its district. This competitive spirit is consistent throughout Cairo. "If we see another street that has better decoration than ours, we can alter ours or give it a complete makeover so that it would be better," said Mohamed Mahmoud, a high school student in Ezbat Maarouf, Ain Shams.
On Mustafa Waily Street in Ezbat Maarouf decorating is not taken lightly. Waily has a reputation as the best for Ramadan decoration, and the residents do not bother being modest about it. "Our decoration draws many people to our street. They try to imitate us but can never compete," store owner Nefisa Aref said proudly.
Maarouf's elaborate decoration scheme is masterminded by Baleegh Salem, a Muslim tailor, and Kareem Matta, a Christian hairdresser. The two are assisted by a group of high school students. Brainstorming begins a month before Ramadan. After coming up with a decorative plan and a reasonable budget, it's shopping time. "If we are going to make a miniature figure, we use cloth or plastic. For the rest of the decoration we use chocolate and candy wrappings that are sold in factories as waste," explained Mohamed Omar, one of the youth who helped decorate Waily Street. The candy wrappings are cut into little pieces and wedged together on Salem's sewing machine. Then they are glued to a chord to create the desired shapes.
"This process is tedious. Some people in our group have to take time off from their work or school in order to finish the decorations on time," Salem said. Student Yasser Ahmed added that, "During that last week we only sleep two hours a night. It is vital that we finish before Ramadan." During this period, Salem's apartment is turned upside down, becoming the group's workshop. "In one room there would be people cutting the paper into shapes and in another someone would be on the sewing machine, and in another someone would be colouring," he said.
Since the Waily residents consider themselves the best of the best, their decorations are as elaborate as they are creative. This year they made two human-size lanterns covered with plastic and inscribed with Qur'anic verses related to Ramadan. Speakers installed in one of the lanterns transmit Ramadan radio programming. The lanterns were also hung on either side of a huge eagle constructed from candy wrappings.
"The eagle is a new idea," Salem said. "We try to innovate every year. Last year was a cave and the year before it was a ship. As you can see, we are not limited to Ramadan symbols like the lantern and crescent."
Salem said they also wanted to hang two soccer balls beside the eagle in support of Egypt's 2010 World Cup bid, but couldn't squeeze it into their budget. During the first year of the Palestinian Intifada, the big Maarouf plan to model the Al-Aqsa Mosque would also have been lost to financial constraints were it not for Salem's toll scheme. "Kareem and I stood at the beginning of the street and stopped every car that was entering," he remembers. "We told them 'I'm a Muslim and he's a Christian and we are collecting money for our Ramadan decorations. Give us one pound and if you don't like the decorations we will give it back'," he said with laughter.
With soaring prices, money is certainly an issue in Ramadan street decorations. Beyond colossal electricity bills, the bulbs for the bright strings of lights each run about one pound. "The decorations are costly, especially with rising prices," kiosk owner Amal Mukhtar said. "That's why we have to try to save them for the following year."
The small mosques, lanterns and crescents hung between buildings are usually made at the ironsmith -- a kilo of iron costing around LE7. "That's in addition to the fee for the ironsmith as well as the money for the plastic paper or cloth that is used to cover the figures," Salem said.
Beyond money, none of the residents of Maarouf seemed to mind the effort and time invested yearly into the decorations of Ramadan. "It might seem trivial to other people, but it is a very important event for us," Aref explained. "The process is as important as the result, that's why everything is handmade. We don't buy prefabricated decorations because it spoils the fun." However, on many of Cairo's streets, including those of Al-Arab where Shwat lives, people are starting to opt for easier and time-saving prefabricated decorations. The decorations are sold in stores for LE5 a metre. Soon, however, the prefab plastic will be replaced by another, newer type of ornament.
"These are the newest innovations," store owner Ali Mansour said as he pointed to a packet of Christmas-like decorations. "They are just like the ones for Christmas, but instead of Christmas trees and Santa Claus, they have the crescent and the lantern."
Mansour believes that people are resorting to ready- made decorations due to their hectic and fast-paced lives. "Most of the youth on our street are in their exam year of secondary school," Mansour explained. "They don't have the time to spare for street decorating anymore."
In the past, Al-Arab residents gave the same attention to this aspect of Ramadan as their counterparts in Ezbat Maarouf. Omar Shwat, Gomaa's 40-year-old uncle, remembered how he and his friends would save the papers from their school books all year in order to use it for Ramadan decorations. "We would cut the paper into different shapes and sizes and then colour it. These papers were then stuck to a thin rope with a mix of flour and water," he recalled. As time passed, paper was replaced with coloured cellophane, and today plastic. "But the paper was best. Not only because of the fun of cutting and colouring, but because it was cheaper; we were not limited by a budget," he continued.
For the residents of Maarouf, their beautiful handmade decorations will never be replaced by prefabricated ornaments. All the hours of hard labour and sleepless nights are rewarded by the final magic moment when the decorations are lifted. "Once the decorations are lifted there is collective awe among the residents. Watching these people smiling and happy makes all our efforts worthwhile. Only then are we ready to welcome Ramadan," Shwat said happily.
