The participants stayed until after midnight to enjoy a feast of Katara’s colourful Ramadan activities. They also gathered to pick up their cloth bags before going around the interior of the amphitheater, and other Katara zones to collect what appeared to be in some cases almost a year’s supply of sweets and nuts.
Commenting on the event, Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti said: “Attracting such a wide audience of all ages to our Ramadan Festival is a sign of yet another success and recognition of Katara as a premiere cultural and touristic destination in Qatar, where visitors can share entertainment, educational, scientific and spiritual experiences.
"The Garangao night was replete with unique traditional and educational themes, and through the celebration we aimed at bolstering ties amongst families and neighborhoods so this cordial atmosphere can be enjoyed and shared by next generations”.
Bowls of nuts, candy and chocolates were distributed to the children. Accompanied by their families, most children were dressed in traditional Garangao attire: gold-coloured head and neck pieces, veils and richly embroidered caftans and skirts for the girls, and white ‘thobes’ with gold lining, miniature ‘bishts’, and crisp ‘ghutras’ for the boys.
Traditional Garangao songs were played through the loudspeakers, while children sang along loudly as they ran from station to station, in a true revival of the old scenes where children ran from one Ferij (neighborhood) to another. Many were stopped by curious spectators and tourists who were eager to photograph their vibrant costumes and capture their moments of joy.
Garangao is a traditional children's party celebrated after the breaking of the fast on the 14th night of Ramadan, when half of the fasting month is over. The festival is celebrated in the Gulf region and is known by different names in each region: Garangao in Qatar and Bahrain, Karkee'aan in Saudi Arabia, Gargee'aan in Kuwait, Qarnakosh in Oman, and Hag Al Leylah in the UAE.
Some of the participants at the Garangao celebrations.
A large number of children and adults from various nationalities flocked to Katara to attend the traditional festival of Garangao on Sunday night in a joyous celebration of the 14th day of Ramadan.
