The 14th day of the holy month of Ramadhan is one of the most highly anticipated events by children from across the Sultanate of Oman, as it is on this occasion that the country celebrates the beloved-family event of “Qaranqasho.”
Qaranqasho is a long-awaited Omani heritage festival that children and adults prepare for days in advance. On this evening, children wear their finest, colourful traditional costumes that were tailor-made and chosen with passion. The children start the journey of receiving their candies from neighbourhood houses after Maghrib prayer and continue until 11:30 pm They sing on the door of each house the Qaranqasho traditional lyrics “Qaranqasho yo nas, atona shwayat halwa,” which means “It is Qaranqasho time, give us some sweets,” and they keep repeating the same song to collect their well-wrapped giveaways of sweets, nuts, and money.
After visiting the houses separately, the children gather to share the amazing feelings of joy and appreciation and see who among them received more sweets. These giveaways bring smiles to the faces of children. They fall in love with the beautifully designed pots and bags in which the money, candies, and nuts are placed in.
Most of the children enjoy this occasion more than any other as they are offered a full range of delicious sweets that are gifted to them in an attractive way.
This unique occasion is represented by colourfully enchanting themes. Parents and adults are in the mood of giving and sharing joy on this day as well. They compete with one another for organising the best and most picturesque theme of Qaranqasho. They wear enchanting traditional costumes along with their children and take beautiful photos that bring life to the hearts of those who celebrate this occasion with enthusiasm.
Some families invite their relatives and friends on this day to commemorate the occasion together. They prepare many delicious Omani traditional dishes like harees, halwa, and luqaimat and serve them on decorated plates. Also, they exchange Qaranqasho giveaways among adults in their gatherings as well. Qaranqasho boosts the social communication skills among them, and symbolise the spirit of Ramadhan.
Since Qaranqasho has been passed on from older generations to the present, this celebration started as a way to reward children for successfully fasting for the first half of the month, and to motivate them to continue through the second half.
Sumiya Al Balushi, from the Wilayat of Al Musannah, spoke about this day, “It is very important to me to prepare for this day in advance. I buy traditional dresses for my children to wear, and I prepare colourful giveaways that go along with the theme of their costumes. My children never miss celebrating this day, they excitedly wait for it.”
It is worth mentioning that educational institutions in Oman prepare ahead to acknowledge this day, along with social institutions and commercial entities, as part of their corporate social responsibility.
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