If you are new in town, you might not know what Gerge’aan is. Kids dress up in their finest traditional outfits; the boys wear their crisp white dishdashas and the girls don their sparkly colorful daraa’as, and roam around the neighborhood singing for candy on the 13th to the 15th of Ramadan.
Kids look forward to it just about as much as the adults who spend the weeks preceding the days getting ready by purchasing enough sweet treats to give everyone in the country a sugar high.
With COVID-19 in the foreground of everyone’s mind, it doesn’t seem like the festivities can take place like they normally do. But, that’s even more reason to celebrate Gerge’aan anyways and to just do it safely.
We can suggest a Zoom Gerge’aan, but we are sure you have already thought of that. Instead of trying to recreate the day, create a new alternative that centers on teaching your kids about it. Our traditions and rituals are the glue that hold our communities together. And while many people complain about how things change, our traditions evolve and change with us to fit our times and needs. This is the perfect time to hunt the internets for old photographs, videos and texts that you can share with the youngins so they can learn more about their rich cultural heritage.
Have them speak to an older relative and ask about old customs and how life used to be “way back when”. We hold our customs dear because they keep us grounded and connected to our history and those ties are strong enough to weather even a pandemic.
If your kids are old enough, you might even encourage them to produce their own music video of their gerge’aan song, or challenge them to come up with new words or tunes to the song. They will be learning some cool editing and music skills and you will be getting a lot of laughs out of it.
Even though they can’t visit the neighbors, they should still engage in some social interaction. Call your neighbors on the phone and ask the kids to say hello and have a short conversation with them. It is a friendly way to check in on the people who live next door and also keep the spirit of the day alive. It is also a great opportunity to teach kids how to make courteous phone calls, which is a dying art in this day and age of texting.
Speaking of dying traditions, now might be a good time to introduce our modern little ones to older games, but if you can’t pry their devices out of their hands, there are still alternatives.
A huge part of Gerge’aan is the outfits. Why not let your kids grab the colored paper and pens and design their own? You might realize that you are raising the next Christian Dior or Louis Vuitton and you never even knew it.
If they are not the artsy craftsy type, maybe have a little dara’a and dishdasha fashion show with the kids. Take lots of pictures and print your favorites. Even a completely out of the box Gerge’aan celebration can be memorable and fun!
We know it’s tough. Ramadan is a time of connecting with friends and family, which is why we’re tenacious about not dropping these little moments of closeness and togetherness. With some extra effort and creativity, we can look back on this Gerge’aan and remember it pleasantly
Featured Image source.
