Egyptian Muslims Welcome the Traditional Month of Ramadan, When Drinking Water Is Forbidden During the Day

Xinhua, Cairo, August 11 (reporters Feng Kang, Zhu Junqing) - Egypt welcomed the traditional Islamic month of Ramadan on the 11th, with a festive atmosphere across the country.

Ramadan is a Muslim festival. The vast majority of Egyptians are Muslims, and Egypt has declared that the country entered Ramadan on the 11th. On the evening of the 10th, many Muslims gathered in the major mosques of the capital, Cairo, to take part in evening prayers and welcome the arrival of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the most sacred and auspicious month for Muslims. During Ramadan, all Muslims abstain from all eating and drinking, smoking, marital relations and other activities from sunrise to sunset each day, and do many good deeds to purify the soul.

However, Egypt's official newspaper Al-Gomhuria said that this year's Ramadan will be "the most difficult in many years," mainly due to climate factors, market prices and energy shortages.

The Middle East mostly has a tropical desert climate, with hot and dry summers. Since the start of August, the maximum temperature in half of Egypt's regions has been around 40 degrees Celsius, and not being able to drink water during the day in Ramadan will be a huge test for the body.

Observing Ramadan in summer also means long days and short nights, with a late sunset. The Egyptian government has decided to revert the daylight saving time in effect back to standard time at the start of Ramadan, so that the sunset time comes an hour earlier, making it more convenient for people to have the iftar (fast-breaking) meal.

Due to insufficient supply of agricultural and sideline products this year, plus international market volatility, food prices in the Egyptian market have risen significantly since July, and the government has had to spend more subsidy funds to stabilize prices.