Today's Edition
AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
The spirit and tradition of "Haq Al-Laila" is alive and well, and young and old in the Emirati community are looking forward to celebrating the special day in the UAE.
This celebration, also known as "Qarqi'aan", takes place on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban (14 February this year) and is an essential part of Emirati heritage that fosters family togetherness. It serves to introduce children to the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan and raise awareness of its significance.
It is a joyous day for children, who dress up in bright colours and go door-to-door in their neighbourhoods, asking for sweets and treats.
As Umm Abdullah, one of the elderly women in the UAE, recalls: "Children, then as now, eagerly await this occasion.
"In the past, the celebration began with families preparing special Haq Al-Laila clothes for the children.
"Boys would wear the traditional Emirati 'kandura', while girls would wear a colourful dresses specifically made for the occasion. "Their outfits would be incomplete without the cloth bag known as 'Al-Khreeṭah', which would be filled with sweets.
"On the day of the celebration, after returning from their Quranic school (the "Kuttab"), children would go out in small groups to visit the homes of neighbours in the community.
"Upon arriving at each house, they would chant the traditional song, 'Give us Haq Al-Laila', and women at each home would open baskets filled with sweets. Each child would open their bag and collect their share of sweets and nuts. The event would continue until all the homes in the neighborhood had been visited and all bags were filled."
Today, the celebrations have changed somewhat, especially in the way the sweets are distributed to children. Umm Zayed explains: "The celebrations are no longer the same in their details, as the method of distributing Haq Al-Laila sweets has become more organised.
"Many families in the UAE now order ready-made Haq Al-Laila treats from specialised accounts on Instagram, where the sweets are pre-prepared and delivered to the children in ready-made bags.
"The cloth bags now serve mostly for decoration and completing the traditional look, and children no longer roam the streets in search of sweets as they once did.
"Instead, the celebration is now held at home in front of the entire family, where grandparents distribute their own Haq Al-Laila sweets to the children."
Despite the changes in the celebrations, the essence of Haq Al-Laila remains rooted in its cultural values.
This celebration provides a great opportunity to enhance the spirit of cooperation and connection within the community, reinforcing social values related to solidarity and sharing.
Through this event, children are reminded of the importance of community values and preserving cultural heritage, fostering strong bonds between different generations.
