The cost of meat and basic groceries has increased dramatically in Iraq as the holy Muslim month of Ramadan draws near, forcing authorities to allow the entry of live animals and punish avaricious businessmen and market owners.

Iraq’s official government statistics indicates that inflation has increased by 4.5%, with a notable official price increase in the last month of 2023. The approaching holy Muslim month of Ramadan on March 11th has been abused by several Iraqi businesses to drive up prices, making life even more difficult for the average Iraqi.

The colours of Ramadan’s cultural ceremonies in Iraq range from communal breaking of the fast to old-fashioned open markets teeming with shoppers and bustling with sounds, to outdoor games played after Iftar with the fervour of the Mondial and the qussakhoun (story tellers) entertaining coffee shop patrons in the evenings, to kids trick-or-treating in their neighbourhoods. There, the Holy Month is spent in reflection and pleasant activities following Iftar.

In Iraq, Ramadan signifies much more than simply eating. In Iraq, the month of Lughnam is a time for introspection via fasting, prayer, and Quran reading. where individuals concentrate on their spiritual side and place their prayers; many would even spend the most of the evening praying at the mosque. The majority of people follow the fast, reflect, pray, and dedicate their whole month to worship there as well. Having said that, Ramadan is celebrated in Iraq, just as it is for all Muslims. It’s a fun-filled month.

In Iraq, breaking the fast communally is fairly customary. “The purpose of Ramadan is to promote unity among all Muslims, not only among the close and extended family. Thus, it is not unusual to witness these kinds of communal breaks for breakfast among guys, according to Professor Nasrallah. These are only a few of the hues associated with Ramadan in Iraq; yet, these hues are what truly give the holy month its distinct essence, makinb devotees eager and anticipate celebrating it each year.

When the guessing narrows down to the hand holding the ring, one of them would get up and ask the others to open the empty hands. A tray of baklawa and zlabya that was purchased by the losing team and shared by everybody is the punishment. The youngsters also take pleasure in this century-old Majena ritual, which involves them trick-or-treating people for candy and cash.

These and many more are the traditional events in Iraq during fasting. Even the golden lamps light up the streets in iraq, just like many other Arab countries. Also, A specialty of Mosul during Ramadan is raisin juice, which is prepared with fresh mint and the finest raisins from the Kurdish part of Iraq’s highlands.
Another Ramadan element is masaharati, also known as al-masharaji in the dialect of Iraq. This customary activity is exclusive to the holy month. A guy bangs his drum as he moves around the city’s alleyways, yelling for people who are fasting to get up and eat their suhoor meal before the day of fasting starts. The masaharati is also observed throughout Ramadan in several other Muslim nations.