• Magical creation brings ‘joy and happiness’ to all, organizer says
• Residents of Al-Matariyya contribute what they can afford to ensure event’s success

Laila Mohammad

CAIRO: The people of Al-Matariyya, east of Cairo, are celebrating Ramadan in a special way once again this year, by creating a huge iftar table.

The wondrous creation, which is surrounded by lights, balloons and other decorations, took a week to put together and involved people from all across the community.

Ahmed Khalaf, one of the organizers, said: “We divided the roles, with the young men taking charge of buying the table supplies and the women preparing all the different types of food.

“On the day of iftar, the children participated in cleaning and decorating the streets to welcome the fasting people.

“We do not care about the cost, as all the residents of the neighborhood participate in financing the table in order to bring joy and happiness to the people of the region and other neighboring areas.

“Each person contributes according to their income and financial situation,” he said. “Some gave 50 Egyptian pounds ($1.60), while others gave up to £5,000.”

Alaa Saqr, one of the founders of the Ramadan table in Al-Matariyya, told Arab News the event had been held for the past nine years.

“There is a state of harmony and understanding between the participants and the organizers,” he said.

Hundreds of residents, including photographers and social media users, gathered round the iftar table to “document an event that embodies the spirit of love and social cohesion between Egyptians,” Saqr said, adding that the event caused such a stir online that it inspired other neighborhoods to organize similar events.

Moataz Abu Rayya, a resident of the New Helmeya area in central Cairo, told Arab News: “We also hold an annual iftar in Helmiya El-Jadida on the last Friday of the holy month, and the Matariyya iftar prompted us to try to organize an iftar table that would compete.”