Specially-made Garangao baskets are up for sale at Souq Waqif.
Souq Waqif has revealed that a high demand of sweets, Garangao clothes has been recorded for the past days.
In a tweet, it said that goods for Garangao are in demand and shoppers especially parents flocked to the area to buy gifts and treats for children as Garangao is marked today, the 14th day of Holy month of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers also said compared to the past years, sales had gone up as COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed in the country.
Souq Waqif offers a wide variety of nuts, sweets, clothes with pouches, chocolates, dry fruits, and toys for competitive prices where customers can buy per kilo or in bulk. There are also specially-made Garangao baskets packed for sale.
It also invited families and children to come together and celebrate the tradition at the marketplace today from 8pm to 10pm at Al Ahmad Square.
Several schools yesterday celebrated Garangao, and among those include Alashbal International School, Oxford English School, and Doha Academy where students dressed in a Qatari costume or Garangao dress were all smiles as they collected goodies.
Laurice Anne and Jianne who are both in Kindergarten at Alashbal International School and the first time to celebrate Garangao said they were extremely happy with all of the candies they have collected. Laurice Anne was dressed in a traditional Garangao along with a headdress which her mother, Riza bought at Souq Waqif. Meanwhile, Jianne’s dress is a DIY made by her mother which was originally an Elsa dress from the famous Disney movie “Frozen.”
Tristan, brother of Laurice Anne who also studies at the same school made a little twist of the tradition, he said: “Along with my classmates, we distributed candies to our teachers and administration staff, it’s our little way of saying thank you for all of their hard work.”
Msheireb Downtown Doha also holds a two-day Garangao celebration which started yesterday and will conclude today. It will hold several activities including the best Garangao outfit for children between ages three to 10 with a prize of one night staycation with their family at one of Msheireb’s luxurious hotels – Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt Doha, or Alwadi Hotel Doha (MGallery).
To participate, head to Ramadan Corner in Al Kahraba street starting from 8.30pm and register. The number of contestants is limited and the first 15 boys and 15 girls to arrive and who have registered will be able to participate in the contest. After the show, the photos of the contestants will be posted on its Instagram stories for people to vote — each for the two categories.
Mall retailers across Qatar had also prepared activities for this special occasion, among which includes Qatari-owned leisure, who is the operator of Angry Birds World, Snow Dunes, and Virtuocity located at Doha Festival City (DFC). Speaking to The Peninsula, Leisure Marketing Executive Diana Liliana Barby said they have been celebrating Garangao night since 2018, and this year it will be held today at Leisure Parks’ Atrium at DFC from 8.30pm.
“As a 100 percent Qatari owned and operated company, we are keen on maintaining our tradition. Garangao is a very important day which brings everybody together in a joyous celebration where children dress up with traditional clothes, going from one place to the other, collecting goodies and singing the special Garangao song. This is aimed to spread joy and bring the community together in a fun, safe environment while maintaining the tradition of this special day,” she said.
The leisure will distribute decorated bags filled with candies who are visiting the park, they also have their mascots Noora and Abdallah for a meet and greet session along with serving the Arabic coffee and dates throughout the evening.
