It is the middle of the blessed month, Ramadhan, a time that maybe insignificant anywhere but in Qatar. As children on this night every year we have expereinced the celebaration of what may be called the "Khaleeji halloween". These nights are indeed special and tacitly celeberated with passion by elders,youth and children of the Khaleej. As a part of this celeberation children sing the 'Garanga3o' song, they sing it for the household members who are expecting visits from diverse groups of children. The household members, usually the women prepare a day in advance for this night with thier large sacks of sweets, peanuts, walnuts, ground nuts and every other seed one can think of subsuming a small toy or a small amont of money as a gift. Children gather with eager and excitement and hurrily commence on a "nutting night out" from one door to another with the magical co-ordination of the harmoniously vocalized sounds resounding in the hearts of the neighbourhoods . By the end of the night they bring home different types of seed fruits, sweets, and gifts ranging from original to commercial, enjoying the kernel of thier effort by sharing thier collections with one another.
What goes unnoticed is the transperancy of the likeness of this tradition, like halloween this Gulf tradition is not only centered around the subjects of children, sweets, gifts and to a certain extent commercialisation, but also the phonetic transcription of the word 'halloween' sounds very much if not exactly like 'hilween' in the Qatari-khaleeji slang dialect and 'halawa' in the standard Arabic language respectively meaning 'sweet ones' and 'sweet' or 'goody'. This transparent interconnection between the Pagan American and the Islamic Arab spirits of festivity leaves a cultural trajectile both crossing at the point of 'sweetness' and prolongs back to thier own aesthetic realms.
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I know about the Garangao. It is a Qatari tradition on the 15th of Ramadan. Kids come knock on our doors asking for sweets or candy. They look so nice and dressed, often, in traditional cloths.
I saw some kids go back home with tons of sweets! to the extent that when they return home, their moms take away or give away most of the sweets, they have collected, because of health hazards...:))
I’m Egyptian, so usually my family gives new notes of money to the kids, as at home we usually don't have sweets in store, because I eat them all:)) also because in Eid, Egyptians are used to giving children money to help them save or buy whatever they wish.
But does Garangao happen in Qatar only ? Or in all or some countries in the Gulf??
That's what I am not sure about, I asked a brother from Saudia, he never heard about it, but I am guessing in Kuwait maybe
Well Garangao certainly is big in Qatar. It's a great night for the children. Usually nowadays many schools will also hold a celebration on the day where the children are asked to come in traditional clothes.
I have noticed it is becoming more commercial however.
Love is the answer...
Well this tradition looks more like the Halooween on the west... do we know where this tradition comes from...?
Ramadan is a holy and a religious month and sometimes traditions and religion does not goes by peer!
@PM I was just about to say it's called something else however I was corrected by all my Qatari friends :P (I lived in Bahrain for most of my life and they call it Girgaeen (Gir-ga-een) / Girgaoon (Gir-ga-oon))
Qatar calls it Garangao (Ga-ran-ga-oh)
Children will sing songs and go to houses for candy, but at the end of the song you usually have a special line to say hello to the names of the people in the house (if you know them) So let's say Khalifa and Noora lived in the house, the song would sound like
Garangao girgaoon, atoona allah yateekum, bait maka yiwadeekum, atoona dahbat leefa, salmoo ala khalifa, ya ma3a al salasil wal thahab ya noora.
So the last lines always change depending on the names.
Roughly translated: give us what God gives you, have a house in Mecca for your generousity, then the specific lines follow.
For example for Noora, she's praised, and it's translated to oh with all the beautiful necklances and gold oh Noora.
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It is traditional to give nuts and sugar-coated nuts but candy is becoming more popular.
Happy garangao celebration to Ql and members.
ok ,, another group of kids just knocked ,,,g2g
Will someone Qatari please write the name in Arabic, i'm trying to find the corresponding meaning in Lebanese.
220v, thanks, same to you..:)
LebDrako, I've seen it written in Arabic in two ways, I'd go for the second one as published in Raya, below.
جرنجعوه أو قرنقعوه
I think it derives from Karka3a - قرقعة
The infinitive قرقعة is related to the verb يقرع which is to make sound or noise such as is in يقرع الباب، قرقعة البطن. The Garangaoh قريقعان kids do knock on doors and their sugar coated candy produces noise when put together in one pouch.
Did I just complicate things? lol
A simple yes would've been fine :)
But i appreciate the info..thanks
Glad you appreciated my effort..:P