Local traditions and culture in Sudan

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Women in Muslim countries are thought to be restricted and protected, but in Sudan they have a lot of freedom. They even had the vote earlier than some European women, and have always been paid equal wages.
However, in the rural areas life is hard. Women used to have to collect water from the river or well; collect wood for cooking; as well as help with the farming. All this in addition to their role as wife and mother, head cook and bottle washer!
The equipment they use is still fairly primitive.
Many things are beaten by women using a wooden pestle and mortar. Grain, spices and other dried goods especially. The rhythmic pounding can be heard particularly if a wedding is being prepared for. The traditional perfumes include in their ingredients sandalwood, cloves, cinnamon and duffar [a material like finger nails]. All these have to be pounded to a powder that will form the base of the perfume.
Spices will be beaten to a powder for use in cooking; and before grindstones were popular, women used to beat the grain too. Often the work was communal with groups of women working together.

As in most parts of the globe, women of poorer classes find jobs as servants, working the homes of the middle or upper stratas of society. There are jobs as nannies, cooks and general maids. Those who clean houses frequently spurn modern devices like vacuum cleaners, sweeping brushes and mops and prefer to use a towel to wash the floor and a bundle of reeds [mokshasha] to sweep with. No wonder so many complain of back ache as they sweep or wipe with straight legs and bent back.

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Henna is an ancient form of decoration going back thousands of years in much of the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.
Basically henna leaves are dried and crushed to a powder, then made into a paste which is applied to the hands and feet.
Boys and girls have henna applied at circumcision. Brides have elaborate designs applied before the wedding day, and then as a married woman henna is applied on a regular basis. The methods of applying it and the designs vary from place to place and follow fashions.
Men apply henna without any decoration when they get married.
In the Sudan. the leaves are mixed with water and sometimes 'nashada', a kind of ammonia, which will make it a dark colour or even black when dry. Or nowadays a chemical [ dye] is added especially for brides to achieve the black colour quickly. Some people develop rashes and allergies as a result of this.
First the feet will be washed and dried, and then the paste is smoothed onto the soles of the feet and tips of the toes. A clean line will be left for men but for women patterns will then be drawn sometimes as far as the knee for a bride, or an inch or so for everyday use.
Then the hands will be cleaned, dried and then have an oil [mahlabiyya] applied to the finger tips . Then the intricate designs are done using either a cone made from a plastic bag with the tip cut off like a forcing bag when icing, an old syringe without the needle, or just a fine piece of dried reed or a matchstick.
The person having the henna done, then sits for several hours until the henna dries and comes off easily. Sometimes the hands will be reapplied several times as the fine decoration also dries rapidly.
When the whole process is deemed finished, the henna is removed, hands and feet are washed and oil is applied to help set and bring out the colour.
Although most women prefer the henna to be dark, some lighter -skinned may prefer to achieve a deep maroon effect.
The hennana [woman who applies the henna] is usually paid quite generously. Sometimes she is a professional working for a hairdresser or at a beauty parlour.

When someone dies in the Sudan, the body is taken for burial as soon as possible the same day after it is prepared and washed and perfumed. It is wrapped naked in a shroud and carried on an angareb [wooden bed] to the graveyard, where friends and relatives gather round the newly dug grave to recite the Koran..
Then mourners return to the deceased's house where the women , who do not attend the burial, are sitting indoors. The men are accommodated in a tent outside, often blocking the street. The tent is not brightly coloured like the ones erected for weddings, but much more muted in tone.
Mourners will be given a glass of water and a glass of 'black' =milkless tea. If the mourner stays for a longer time he/she will be given a meal. Women prepare the food or bring it from their homes to help . Mourners may bring sacks of sugar, tea, coffee as a contribution, or leave a monetary donation.

Nowadays , the official mourning days are reduced to 3 days but people continue coming for a long time. The tent will be dismantled ofter the third day.

Women have the [bad] custom of wailing/keening as they enter the house and when they see any close relatives of the deceased. I found it very difficult to bear, but supposedly it is very cathartic.
If a woman is widowed she has to wear clean white clothes and sit on a bed or the floor to accept the commiserations and condolences. She will wear white for the next 40 days, and is not allowed to leave the house or see men apart from her father/brothers/sons.

With few pavements, and very dusty conditions, shoes quickly become very dirty. But, there are many shoe-shine boys around who are willing to clean your shoes for as little as 50 piastres a pair. They often have a box with metal pieces that they jingle to let you know they are around.
Many of them are homeless or displaced children/boys from the south or west of Sudan. They do this menial job to earn money to keep themselves alive. The boy in the picture comes every Friday [weekend] to clean our shoes and wash my daughter's car. He goes to school during the week, and to earn enough for his requirements and tuition, he does this job..
Some of them turn up at your house or office and clean them while you wait. Others sit on the street waiting for customers.
Give them your custom and prevent them from begging or getting into trouble.

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Whenever there is a wedding, hundreds /thousands turn up for the meals.
The breakfast traditionally will have aseeda [sorghum porridge] or kisra with a sauce either made from sour milk or mince and tomato. Ful is always a staple, as is taamia /felafel [see separate tip], salad and shairiya [noodles with sugar] and fateer [flakey pastry with sugar].

For lunch there will be a dry roasted piece of beef, salad, a macaroni/pasta dish, mince with fried potatoes, rigla/molochiya or okra, 'kabab' , stuffed vegetables [maashi], salads of aubergine or mixed vegetable in mayonnaise, followed by custard and fruit, and medowar or 'ragil'=man. [Spanish churros, I think]

When Ramadan is over and normal meals are resumed, it is the custom for people to go visiting. At each house they will be given a cold drink, sweets and cookies, as well as tea and/or coffee.

Although the Sudan adopted sharia lawn in the late 20th century, there has always been a strong Moslem influence for centuries. Originally learning was obtained from the khalwas, the religious schools where the youth learned the Koran by heart. Many of the influential people of recent times have been graduates of such schools.
One of the famous institutions of this type is at Umm Dowamban, which lies on the eastern bank of the Nile beyond Geraif East and El Elafon.
An eternal flame burns in the place, as was customary in all khalwas. It is a symbol also of the light that is gained through education.

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Sudanese eat large amounts of meat, especially from the sheep. Nothing is wasted. The skin is tanned, the head is cooked and eaten , as are the intestines [komoniya].
The intestines are carefully washed to remove all the contents. Water is repeatedly poured through the tubes and air is blown into them to facilitate the cleaning.
At the Eid el Dahiya or if a sheep has been killed for a birth or wedding, raw liver, lungs and stomach are produced as a delicacy. However, it is accepted that foreigners may turn up their noses when a plate of 'merara' is served. So, don't feel obliged to eat if you don't want to.
The meat is slaughtered according to Islamic tradition, and eaten the same day, so some people may find it too fresh for their taste; though I think it is very good whether fried, boiled or roasted- but not raw..
In general people eat communally from a large round tray, using their fingers and bread or kisra to pick up the food,. The right hand only must be used. If you don't like this, ask for a spoon.
You soon learn to eat quickly as the best things disappear fast.

Helamour comes from the words for sweet [helu] and sour [mour], as the drink is sweet but with a slight bitter a taste. It can be an acquired taste for foreigners.
Helamour is made from fermented sorghum with spices such as root and stem ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. The sorghum is allowed to sprout. The preparation begins a month or more before Ramadan.
When the mixture is ready, a fire is laid and a thick metal plate is put on the fire. Some of the mixture is spread on the plate [as is done with kisra] and allowed to dry until it is a brown sheet.
The ready sheets are put into cardboard cartons and distributed to other family members who do not know how to make their own.

To make the drink, several sheets are put in a bucket to soak for a few hours. Then the liquid is strained and sugar added to taste. Ice will be added.
Although this is made specifically for Ramadan, if any sheets are left over , helamour can be drunk at any time.

Other popular drinks are gamardine [apricot leather], grapefruit or lemon juice, kerkadeh, and tamarind juice.