CAIRO – Millions of Muslim Egyptians will celebrate the three- day feast of Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Egyptians have met their obligations to the fourth pillar of the Muslim faith by fasting the month that is expected to end on Monday. In Cairo, ordinary families use the occasion to celebrate the feast, which traditionally involves elaborate banquets of food as well as eating huge amounts of seasonal cookies known as kahk el-Eid, which dates back to the times of the Ekhshidis, who ruled Egypt from AD 935 to 969. But this year's Eid, which is expected to begin on August 30 depending on sighting the new moon, these mouth- watering delicacies may disappear from many Egyptian households for the first time since the times of the Ekhshidis due to high prices of flour and the high cost of ingredients that are used to make kahk, including butter, sugar, turkish delight, chocolate powder, dry fruits, food colours, nuts and date paste. The high prices of these materials have deterred many bakery owners to make kahk this Eid as one tonne of flour has soared to LE5,000 after it has been sold for LE2,100. Last year, one kilo of plain kahk was sold for LE34 ($6), where as a kilo of cookies filled with date paste, or turkish delight cost between LE45 and LE50, Mohamed Ali, owner of a bakery in the Cairo district of Hadayek el-Qubba, said. "This year's kahk prices are expected to be high. And I do not think the families will be able to afford these new prices. Therefore, I have decided not to make kahk, Eid cookies and biscuits all together this feast," Ali said. Ali said that many sweet shops and bakeries have agreed not to make small amounts of the feast delights for the first time in many years. "The traditional smell of hot kahk will not waft out from the ovens. There is an acute shortage of first degree flour, whose prices are already high," Ali said, adding that his customers already complain of their pitifully small incomes and shortages. Eid el-Fitr is a three-day festival. On the first day, Egyptians gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer. Afterwards, people usually visit various family and friends, give money gifts, especially to children, and celebrate the feast by eating the kahk, whose presence this on Egyptian tables is doubtful.
