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 | Khartoum Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 17 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Miscellaneous Local Customs Tips | All Tips (17) All women in the past used to wear the tobe, a strip of long cloth wrapped round the body and over the left shoulder. The material was colourful and usually of fine cotton or chiffon. Many of the older women still do.
Younger women wear the tobe for special occasions like weddings.
Now many younger women wear a long skirt, long tunic blouse and a head covering Sleeves should be long.
Trousers are still not normally worn except with a long tunic, or by young girls who imitate the western dress.
Foreigners can get away with respectable western clothes. Leave a Comment
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Eid el Adha celebrates the occasion when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail. At the last moment God sent a ram to be slaughtered in place of the boy. Every year Moslems kill a ram or goat . All adult males are expected to do this. The meat is divided so that the family has some and the rest is distributed to the poor and needy.
This year 2006, a decent ram costs 270, 000 Sudanese pounds, and the butcher who slaughter it expects to get 50,000 and the head and skin of the ram.
For days before the Eid shepherds congregate along the road or in open spaces with their animals. Potential buyers inspect the animals and select a good beast with no flaws. This will be kept at home until after the Eid prayers, then be given a drink of water and have its throat cut. Once the blood has drained, the butcher makes a cut in the skin and blows into the hole , which causes the fleece to separate from the fascia easily.
As mentioned elsewhere, the innards , lungs and liver are a great delicacy.
Men and children and elderly women congregate for the prayers, usually about 8 am. They wear new or clean clothes, and after the prayers go visiting and wishing people fortune, marriage, good health, children in the coming year. On this day meat is fried and devoured. Sweets and cookies will also be offered to guests. Leave a Comment
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The art of bargaining in Sudan
One thing that I've noticed during my stay here in Khartoum is that everything goes so much easier if you have a big smile on your face and can speak a few words in arabic. So if somebody tell you a price that you think is too high, just say "lala" and give him/her the biggest smile that you can possibly produce. The sudanese will always give you a smile back and be a little more friendly than otherwise. Just try and see!
Shopping
In the "fancy" (sudanese standards) shops, the small local shops you find everywhere and, in Afra mall and the oh-so-expensive supermarkets the prices are the same for everyone so no need to bargain there. However, in the local suqs (markets) you should be prepared to bargain like crazy. It's always a good idea to bring a local friend that knows approxomately what to pay and can help you to bargain in arabic if necessary.
Transportation
In the taxi, amjadh (the small mini vans) or riskshaw you should always agree on a price before you get in. Start with some 50% of the suggested price mentioned by the driver and work your way up to an appropriate price. Make sure that you have the exact amount too since some drivers will claim not to have change.
Some people are actually honest
Yes, really! Old people are most likely to tell you a fair price so don't bargain just because you're supposed to if you suspect that the price mentioned is fair. Leave a Comment
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Foul [horse beans] are eaten for breakfast and /or supper by most households.
Visitors to the country find it the first dish that they can enjoy.
The beans can be cooked in different ways, according to different people. Nowadays it can be bought ready made in tins.
Basically the beans are cleaned and sorted, to remove any hard ones, dirt etc. Then they are usually soaked overnight and boiled either in a special pot [gidra] , pan, or in a pressure cooker for a few hours until the beans are soft. Some people like to add a date or two , or some lentils , to add to the colour and taste.
To serve the beans, scoop them with some of the liquid into a plate, season with salt and dried dill [shamar] and pour on some sesame seed oil.
There are other variations: the foul can be cooked again with tomatoes and onions ,and lightly mashed. Local white cheese goes well on top.
It can be eaten in a sandwich, or from a plate using bread to dip in. Leave a Comment
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