Al-Jadouna draws joy in the faces of the children of Mokha.. New clothes and sweets are the most prominent manifestations of the celebration
English - Tuesday 07 March 2023 الساعة 02:31 pm
Al-Mokha, NewsYemen, exclusive:
Raha Mutee's eyes widened as she stared at a cloth bag half filled with different kinds of sweets that she got, to express satisfaction, on the Day of Judunah, Children's Day in Mocha, and the West Coast.
Hours before we met her, Raha, who is about 9 years old, had toured most of the houses of the old neighborhood in the city of Mocha, accompanied by dozens of children who knocked on the doors of the houses early to get their share of the sweets that the parents bought in advance in preparation for the New Day that is celebrated by the children of Mocha in The fifteenth of the month of Sha'ban.
Raha told NewsYemen, in a short talk that was overshadowed by features of shyness, as she explained to us how she woke up enthusiastically at dawn, to roam most of the houses in this neighborhood, some of which date back to the period when mocha coffee was exported to the world, that it is "an acceptable share of gifts, and when she returns home, she will share it with Her sister and brother, who share the celebration of this special occasion for children.
Raha, who wore new clothes that were half pink and wore a head covering to avoid the blows of the cold breeze, added, "She is happy with what she got today, because the amount of sweets she got is not obtained on any other day."
And in a nearby street in this neighborhood, where destroyed historical buildings are clearly seen, the joy was marked by the presence of children who wandered in groups, carrying with them bags some of which were filled with several types of sweets, while others did not seem to have obtained the quantity that was too early for them.
And some refuse to stop talking, as they started as if they were in a hurry, in a scene that confirms the extent of the children's competition in obtaining the gifts that they want to acquire.
The children of Mokha and the coast celebrate this day, which falls on the fifteenth of Sha'ban, by wearing new clothes that their families bought in advance, in preparation for this day that draws joy on their faces.
Parents are keen to buy sweets in order to give them to children, so that they do not appear in the image of poor families, which may expose them to children's words against families that do not give them sweets.
The newness in Mocha, or the joy in the Tihama plain, is an occasion for children who preserved it from extinction and continued to celebrate it by wearing clothes and roaming between homes to obtain gifts, while the other aspects of this celebration, which is held on the occasion of changing the qiblah from Al-Aqsa Mosque to Makkah Al-Mukarramah, were absent. And it consisted in preparing a lunch table containing the delicacies of food, and holding prayers, supplications, and religious birthdays.
