GarnGaao is an old traditional celebration that Qataries still hold on to very dearly. It is celebrated annually on the 14th night of Ramadan. It is aimed primarily for children, but adults join in as well. The children go out to the streets, walking from house to house to get candy from the neighbors. Each house has a huge bowl full of nuts and candy. GarnGaao is very similar to Halloween, but instead of the scary theme and costumes, we have a traditional theme and wear traditional clothes.
This fun tradition has not been forgotten. Actually, people have elaborated this celebration and took it to new levels. They compete on who would prepare the most extravagant event. The huge bowl of candy is gone and is replaced with thousands of Riyals worth candy arrangements. The traditional clothes are not so traditional either. Yes, we wear the “jalabya” but instead of the traditional long simple dress, the modern jalabya came along, be it short or with trousers or jeans. Nothing stays the same for a long time. While it is true that Garangaao changed from what it was before, it is still the one tradition we hold on to.
Fun fact: did you know that only Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait celebrate Karankaao. Oman celebrates it but they have a different naming for it. They call it “Kanrkshooh”.(HZ)
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