The Waker

It has not been a long time since Ramadan passed. I remember when I was a child and for many ages before there was a person called the Mosaharati. He used to wander the streets at suhour time before sunrise during Ramadan, carrying a drum and singing a religious song trying to wake up the sleeping people for suhour, the meal before the fast. He used to knock on each house waking everyone up by his name, like "Abu Ahmad, wake up! It's suhour time," collecting his meal carrying his basket.

When I tried to talk with that person, asking him why he did that job, if he is really in need of this kind of work in order to support his family, he answered that he has ten children but his work doesn't give him enough money. So he is trying to work another job, and maybe it will help him. He told me that he wishes the whole year were Ramadan so he could work every day.

In addition to that, his father and grandfather worked in this job for a long time. Sometimes his son accompanies his father to learn how to deal with people and let him cope with that job since he is only a child. I asked him if he didn't choose that job, what else would he like to do. He answered that he liked that job and he felt as if his job was part of him. He told me that every member of his family appreciates and respects him even though he works in a job like this.

Nowadays we don't hear the Mosaharati in the streets, so we hope this carrier will not disappear. - Lina N.