The Authors Forum celebrates Eid in the Book Council

The Qatari Forum for Authors was held on the morning of the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the first session of the Book Council, during which it hosted a group of authors to exchange congratulations on the occasion of Eid and talk about the customs of celebrating Eid and the latest cultural developments

The session was moderated by Ms. Maryam Yassin Al Hammadi, Director General of the Forum, Director of the Culture and Arts Department at the Ministry of Culture, and it was broadcast on YouTube.

Al Hammadi presented her greetings to the session's guests, expressing her happiness at celebrating the holiday with the return of life to normal, after two years of social distancing imposed by the conditions of the Corona pandemic.

Mr. Saleh Ghareeb, Program Manager, spoke about the changing habits and atmosphere of celebrating Eid, noting that despite the civilized development, Qatari society still maintains many beautiful customs such as meeting in councils, visiting, and holding banquets.

And He said: Food is considered a cultural heritage and part of the local identity, and Qatari society still maintains its customs in the kitchen. He praised the efforts of many Qatari writers who documented the original recipes of Qatari cuisine and even invested them in important projects.

The writer Andalus Ibrahim congratulated all the Qatari society and Arab families and stressed that no matter how different the forms of celebration of Eid differ between the past and the present, this religious occasion still represents an occasion for rejoicing and joy for adults and children.

And she called on writers, especially specialists in children's literature, to participate in the celebration of this day through events held all over the country and gifting stories to children.

She stressed the necessity of mixing civilization and heritage, strengthening identity, and rooting customs and traditions, and stressed that this task falls on the shoulders of writers, especially specialists in children's literature.

Mr. Ahmed Alawi highlighted the customs associated with the celebration of Eid in the Sultanate of Oman and said that they do not differ much from the customs of the Qatari people in celebrating, but there are differences and diversity within the Omani society itself, Customs change from one region to another, but the exchange of visits remains an essential pillar. And he pointed out that there are some cities that receive Eid with sacrifices and grilling meat, so Eid al-Fitr is not different from al-Adha, as the people are keen to maintain a simple social life and do all the work themselves.

Maryam Al Hammadi concluded the session by emphasizing the necessity of transmitting heritage to children in ways and mechanisms appropriate to their age and degree of understanding and awareness.

She pointed out that there were many elements that entered Qatari society, including the emergence of private schools and globalization that affected customs and traditions.

Furthermore, she stressed the role of the family and family cohesion, as holidays and religious occasions are considered a unique opportunity to transmit this heritage and values.