DHAHRAN: Underneath a full moon families gathered by the glistening Ithra building to enjoy the Gargee’an celebrations on the 15th night of Ramadan.
Baskets of candy were passed around to anyone walking by — no matter the age — and treat bags stuffed with candy and potato chips were given out to young children, many of whom wore traditional attire.
For generations, children in the Gulf have dressed up in traditional clothing to go round their neighborhood knocking on the doors of neighbors and relatives to mark the occasion of Gargee’an.
This celebratory time is mostly geared towards youngsters, giving them a chance to dress up and they collect sweets, and interact with their community.
This year, Gargee’an is being celebrated for three nights, between April 6-8. On the first night of Gargee’an, the Children’s Museum at Ithra was brimming with activity as giddy children, perhaps having sampled one too many sweets, ran around. There was plenty of seating available for tired parents to rest on.
An interactive story-time session focused on a tale called ‘Adnan and the Dish of Ramadan,’ following the journey of a young boy who tries to fast during Ramadan and his quest to find nourishment at the end of the day. Children gathered around and shouted out their answers to questions from the storyteller.
The Children’s Museum was running several activities, including traditional games, a ‘More than a Candy’ workshop, and a glue art workshop, all run by experienced adults.
Expat Lee Webber, who moved to the Kingdom from Canada three months ago, had brought his wife and two children — George who is eight and Rhiannon who is six — to Ithra for their first time. It was their first immersive Saudi cultural excursion in their new town.
“We didn’t really know about this big event tonight. We just came to the Children’s Museum,” Webber said. “Ithra is a huge landmark in the area. We went outside (to the Lush Garden) and saw the big parade and the light show.”
His son George said: “I didn’t know what to expect before coming but it was worth it. It is fun. There are a lot of kids and it’s good here.”
Mona Alomari brought her 12-year-old daughter Dina along. The youngster — wearing a gold headpiece on her jet black hair and a red jalabiya underneath her abaya — headed to the ‘Decorate Your Costume’ activity at the Library.
At the first station, she selected a cutout illustration of a young girl and then went on to choose what accessories and attire she wanted to dress her in with the aid of a staff member and stickers. At the end, she took a photo with her creation.
“This is our second time at Ithra — both times we were at the library — so we knew what to expect. The whole event has been so well organized and the Ithra team did a great job making this a wholesome and educational experience for all. My daughter really is enjoying this, as you can see,” Alomari told Arab News.
Festivities at Ithra run from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. and from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. throughout Ramadan.
