Firing the cannon
THE TRADITION of Madfaa Ramadan (Ramadan cannon) is deeply embedded in the minds of Egyptians. It is fired at sunset to signal the end of each day's fast. There are several narratives as to the origin of this tradition.
One relates that the Ramadan cannon dates back to 859 AH (Hijri),
when the ruler of Egypt was busy toying with his new cannon in the open
courtyard atop the Citadel overlooking Cairo. The cannon went off accidentally
and a loud boom reverberated everywhere. It was Ramadan at sunset.
The people were thrilled with the wali 's innovative idea to announce the break of the daily fast. And his daughter, Haja Fatma, urged him to make a tradition of the signal; and since then the cannon has been synonymously nicknamed "Haja Fatma".
Another tale goes back to the time of Mohamed Ali's rule. It is told that he was testing a cannon he bought from Germany in Ramadan at the same time as Iftar. Since then, it has become tradition to fire the madfaa everyday during Ramadan to mark Iftar and Sohour.
The original Ramadan cannon remains at the Citadel as a symbol of
the good old days. Since the early 1990's, the cannon has been usually
transported to Al-Darassa Park on the eve of Ramadan with the sighting
of the crescent. The cannon was considered an encroachment on the Citadel
grounds and when fired, was found to be a threat to the infrastructure
of the homes surrounding it.
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