Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Magic of Gargee’an celebrations continue to unite Saudi, Gulf communities

Magic of Gargee’an celebrations continue to unite Saudi, Gulf communities

With houses decorated in dazzling lights, and music reverberating in the streets, the magic of Gargee’an has been bringing together communities across Saudi Arabia for generations.

Gargee’an is a celebration that occurs twice in an Islamic year — on 15 Sha’ban and 15 Ramadan.

It is marked primarily in Gulf countries or the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, specifically Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The word Gargee’an essentially refers to the giving of gifts or goods, but has widely been used to refer to the day itself.

In Ramadan, children in Saudi Arabia can be seen dressed up in traditional clothes like the Jalabiya for girls and thobes for boys.


Children wearing traditional attire — boys in thobes and ghutras and girls in jalabiyas — frolic door-to-door singing and exchanging candy and nuts, particularly peanuts, and sometimes small toys.

Streets are sometimes closed to make it safer for people to walk as the celebrations kick in. Traditionally, a Tubaila, a man or band with drums, roams around the neighborhood alongside families singing traditional songs.

Reem Alfaqir, manager of Intangible Cultural Heritage Planning and Protection at the Ministry of Culture, told Arab News: “Gargee’an is a tradition which reminds the local community of their cultural past, bringing the neighborhoods and the kids together to celebrate the joy and happiness of Ramadan.

“The goal of the Gargee’an tradition is to foster affection, happiness and love in both adults and children.”

“It’s a very important profession, and it’s on the decline and not many people know about it. It’s a culturally significant part and prominent art form. It sets the tone for Gargee’an,” Khaled Al-Mulhim told Arab News, referring to the role of a Tubaila and other rituals.

In many households, the celebration is dedicated to a newborn or the birth of the eldest child. If the celebration falls on a weekday, some may postpone it a day or two to ensure that all family or friends are able to attend.

Born and raised in Al-Ahsa, Al-Mulhim recalls his favorite memory as the Gargee’an was celebrated to mark the birth of his nephew Hamoody. “He’s like my brother. We’re very close to each other, so that night felt very special. It was the most special Gargee’an in my life,” Al-Mulhim told Arab News.

Continuing simple customs such as Gargee’an aids in preserving the culture’s history and is also an educational experience, said Al-Mulhim: “Even the decorations sometimes feature antique objects, old telephones, fabrics, dresser drawers, things related to our past.

“These days we celebrate holidays we can’t relate to, like Halloween and Christmas. Our culture is very rich and these celebrations, for example how kids wear clothing that our ancestors and grandparents used to wear, shows them the importance of keeping those traditions. This is our heritage.”

More businesses have been offering exclusive deals, goodie boxes, clothing sets, and sweets specifically for Gargee’an, competing with other stores to attract shoppers.

Initially, neighbors would give out half of their dry goods to others and receive the same. As time passed, the tradition began centering on children.

Sharing an anecdote, Zahra Al-Qatari, a Qatif native, told Arab News: “When I was a kid, we used to seek out the houses that gave out money. If we knew they gave out riyals, we would dress up differently and go back again for another visit, imagining they wouldn’t know. In retrospect, of course they knew it was us.”

The spirit of the occasion is enhanced by music that differs from region to region. “But nowadays I feel like kids are different. I don’t hear them singing these songs anymore and most of them don’t know it. It’s more like trick-or-treat,” Al-Qatari said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×