Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Egyptian Muslims ban daytime drinking water during Ramadan
2025-05-15
Xinhua News Agency, Cairo, August 11 (Reporter Feng Kang and Zhu Junqing) Egypt ushered in the traditional Islamic holy month of Ramadan on the 11th, and the whole country was filled with a festive atmosphere.
Ramadan is a Muslim holiday, and Egypt, where the vast majority of people are Muslim, has declared the start of Ramadan nationwide on the 11th. On the evening of the 10th, many Muslims gathered in mosques in Cairo to attend evening prayers and welcome the arrival of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the holiest and most auspicious month for Muslims. During Ramadan, all Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sex from sunrise to sunset each day, and instead practice good deeds to purify their souls.
However, Egypt's official newspaper, Al-Republic, said that this year's Ramadan will be "the most difficult Ramadan in many years", with the main reasons including climate factors, market prices and energy shortages.
The Middle East is largely a tropical desert region, characterized by hot, dry summers. Since August, temperatures in half of Egypt have reached around 40 degrees Celsius. During Ramadan, being unable to drink water during the day is a significant challenge for the body.
Celebrating Ramadan in the summer also means longer days and shorter nights, with later sunsets. The Egyptian government has decided to revert to winter time from summer time at the start of Ramadan, bringing sunset one hour earlier to facilitate iftar meals.
Due to the insufficient supply of agricultural and sideline products this year and fluctuations in the international market, food prices in the Egyptian market have risen significantly since July, and the government has had to spend more subsidy funds to stabilize prices.