Musaharati: Linking past and present

AL-AHSA: Muslims from around the world celebrate Ramadan in their own often unique ways. Every community welcomes the holy month with its distinctive traditions and practices.
In Al-Ahsa, everybody waits for the musaharati, the man who roams the roads, beating drums to wake everyone up for the pre-dawn suhoor meal after which all fast until sunset.
Thanks to the musaharati, people are able to sleep peacefully, knowing that they will not miss their suhoor. The man has a remarkable voice that fills the air before dawn. His chants are religious as he calls people to get up, have suhoor, prepare for fajr prayer and start a new day in Ramadan.
Musaharati Ali Al-Shaib said: “I have worked as a musaharati for about 15 years. I go out every night in Ramadan from 1 a.m. until 2.30 a.m., roaming the streets of the Omran area to wake people up.” He noted that in the middle as well as the last nights of Ramadan, he collects money from families who would like to give him some.
Yusuf Abu-Obeid, a resident of Omran, said: “I am very happy to hear the drums of the musaharati. Both children and adults await him. It is a tradition that we do not want to lose. It is a part of our heritage and we don’t want it to disappear.”