Moulid's make shift stand in front of a bakery shop in Downtown Cairo (Photo : Zeinab El-Gundy)
Demand on traditional makeshift tent set-ups to sell Moulid Al-Nabawy sweets in front of shops in Cairo dropped by 40-50% this year, Mohamed Fawzy, head of Ferasha, or traditional event furnishing, in Cairo's Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday.
Fawzy attributed several factors to the decline in demand on tents including the coronavirus epidemic.
Egyptians celebrate the Moulid by buying and eating sweets, candies and desserts, in a tradition that dates back to Fatimid rule in Egypt.
Shopkeepers usually set up makeshift stands using traditional tent fabric in front of their shops to sell the sweets.
"The demand is mainly in working class areas where the Moulid is celebrated, as locals do not fear coronavirus, unlike residents of upper class areas that celebrate the Moulid more using lights decorations," Fawzy told Al-Ahram Arabic website.
Moulid El-Nabi, or the Prophet Mohammed's birthday anniversary, is on Wednesday according to the Hijri Islamic calendar.
Observance of the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed is commemorated on the 12th of Rabi' Al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar.
Thursday 29 October is a paid-holiday for public and private sector workers.
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