Event Details

Qatar Scouts and Guides Association celebrated the “Garangao” night

Qatar Scouts and Guides Association celebrated the “Garangao” night, which aims to revive the ancient heritage and folklore. The Garangao Night
Celebration is characterized as a traditional festival directed especially to children and is celebrated in the Arabian Gulf region on the fourteenth
 night of Ramadan. The most important feature of the ceremony is the children’s wearing of the Qatari traditional dress, their chanting of Garangao, 
and the distribution of sweets and nuts. It is a Gulf custom and a celebration held by families to honor the children and reward them for completing the 
fasting half of Ramadan and to encourage them to continue fasting the remaining half of it.

The reason for this name goes back to “the apple of the eye in this month”, and it is said that over time the word changed and became “garangao”, as it is
said that it is a metaphor for children knocking on the doors and bags that they usually carry on this night. Usually, this event begins after Maghrib prayer
and the songs differ slightly according to regions, but they remain similar. In its content, where children roam around in traditional costumes, boys wear 
dishdasha and jacket, in addition to traditional slippers, while girls wear dara’ and al-Bakhqiq, a cloth of different colors embroidered, with sequins placed 
on the head, and each of them carries a bag to collect nuts and sweets.

Mr. Jassim Al-Hardan, Commissioner-General of Qatar Scouts and Guides Association, said: Such occasions are a valuable opportunity that Qatari scouts
seize to put a smile and a beautiful memory in the hearts of children to enjoy this heritage atmosphere.

The Leader Wadha Al-Khayarin, Acting Director of the Girl Guides Department, said: The Scouts Association is very keen to revive the Garangao event
every year, where children go around wearing their popular costumes and chant songs as sweets are distributed to them.