Culture and Lifestyle

Ramadan traditions vary across cultures and regions with more than a billion celebrating the Muslim holy month. Some of the important elements are welcoming chants, costumes and cuisine. Mosques and praying areas are also cleaned and renovated. 

Today is Georgian Language Day – an important day for the Georgian people. In this op-ed for commonspace.eu, Erekle Koplatadze gives a brief history of the Georgian language and explains why this day carries such significance in Georgia.

Two 30-year-old Egyptians living in Germany decided to pursue their hobby of cooking in the mountains. They have started a cooking channel, called  “ElRaye2 Kitchen” where they demonstrate Egyptian cuisine from the Alps.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, partially opened in 2017, is set to receive 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that a parade will take place on 3 April as the mummies are transferred from El Tahrir, in the city centre, to Fustat, part of Old Cairo, where the new museum is located. 

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is witnessing 17 days of open-air light installations that highlight not only extensive artistry but also the advent of the Kingdom’s push for a greater creative economy. The works feature both local and international artists. 

21 March is celebrated as International Nowruz Day. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been marked for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

A new book donation and distribution in Darfur aims to consolidate peace and contribute to post-conflict recovery in Sudan. Estella Gaetano, novelist and storyteller from South Sudan launched the initiative called "Make a difference with a book."

Poetry about love was an important cultural element in ancient Egypt. There are many poetry examples that have received the attention of international poets such as Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound and others who transferred ancient Egyptian love poems to modern European languages. Meanwhile, the Egyptian ministries of education and culture focused more on other eras such as the Mamluk or Fatimid period.