My two brothers and I grew up with our grandparents.  When we were little children, Ramadan used to be in the winter. Ramadan days were cold and rainy and sometimes we had snow. Ramadan evenings were warm and peaceful and we had great fun. Every afternoon, my older brother and I used to go to the farmers’ market.  I liked to watch the street vendors who used to sell Ramadan pastry and dessert. The smell was so appetizing. We used to walk around in the rain with our heavy coats and boots on. Sometimes we bought salad vegetables or dumplings for our grandmother. By sunset, my grandmother was always busy preparing delicious food for Ramadan dinner. On entering the house, we could always smell the food all over the place. I always enjoyed watching my grandmother make katayef and stuff them with nuts and cheese. Ramadan was the only time when we could eat katayef. Around 5:00 p.m. people would be rushing in the streets trying to get home before it is time to break their fast. We used to sit together around the fire and have our hot dinner. We used to hear the Ramadan cannon announcing the end of a Ramadan day. It was always fun for me to sit with adults and have Ramadan dinner with them. After dinner, my grandparents would pray and soon, we would all sit around the fireplace and have hot tea. Ramadan evenings were warm, long and serene. We did not have a television set in those days. We only had a radio. We used to listen to plays and radio shows like “The One Thousand and One Nights”, and Ramadan Riddles. My grandfather used to tell me heroic stories about Antara, Abu Zaid Al-Hilali and other folk stories. In addition, my grandfather always roasted chestnuts in the fireplace and my grandmother used to make hot sahlab (milk, starch and nuts). We used to go to bed early around 10:00 p.m.

When I was a child, our Ramdan dinner was always plain and we did not have the luxuries of modern life that we have nowadays, but we were happier, more spiritual and closer to each other and to other people.