Ramadan lantern
Ramadan lanterns ( Arabic فانوس رمضان, DMG fānūs ramaḍān , pl.فوانيس رمضان / fawānīs ramaḍān ) are lanterns that are used as a decorative element during the fasting month of Ramadan in some Islamic countries. The name is derived from the Greek word Phanos (φανός), lantern.
history
From Egypt, the Ramadan lanterns spread to other Islamic countries. There are various hypotheses about its origin. It is believed that the Ramadan lanterns developed from the torches that were used to light the streets of ancient Egypt during the celebrations for the rise of the star Sirius . The historian al-Maqrizi (1364–1442) traces its origin back to Coptic Christmas candles in his work Kitāb al-Mawāʿiẓ wa-l-Iʿtibār bi-Ḏikr al-Ḫiṭaṭ wa-l-Āṯār . The origin of the name Fanous from the demotic speaks for this view . Others see the origin of the Ramadan lanterns in Fatimid Egypt.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lights of Faith : Al-Ahram (Cairo) Weekly On-Line No. 961 from August 20-26, 2009. ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
