VOA标准英语2012--Ramadan Lanterns Brighten Egyptians' Holy Month

 

Ramadan Lanterns Brighten Egyptians' Holy Month

 

In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, vendors² like Ahmed Abu Kamel start popping up in the markets and streets of Cairo selling fanous - or "fawanees" as they are called in the plural³.

"Workers start manufacturing the fanous ahead of the season to prepare for it, and 20 days ahead of Ramadan you see a huge amount of fawanees spread along El Sad Street at Sayeda Zeinab [district]," said vendor¹ Ahmed Abu Kamel. "It is a huge number of fawanees, not millions but billions. They are good ones as you see, look at this one and that one, all the different shapes."

Traditional Egyptian fawanees are made of tin and glass and cost between $10 and $20. But they have some modern competition from cheaper imitations⁴ made in China that are battery-operated and play music.

There are many stories of how this tradition began. One tale says the colorful lanterns evolved from Pharaonic times. Over five nights, ancient Egyptians celebrated⁵ the birthdays of five important deities⁶, using torches to light the streets.

Another story says the lantern tradition evolved from Coptic Christians⁷, who used colorful candles at Christmas.

And yet another tale says that in the 10th century, children used lanterns and sang songs as they lit the way for the Fatimid Caliph as he went out in search of the crescent moon that would signal the start of Ramadan.

Today, grandmother Amal Ahmed says all children wish for a new fanous at the start of Ramadan.

"It is a must that I come every year to buy a fanous - a fanous for myself and one for my grandson," she said.

Children used to go out at night with their fawanees. But now, they stay at home and after the family breaks the daily fast with the evening Iftar meal, they play with their lanterns, singing a traditional rhyme welcoming Ramadan and waiting for little treats from their relatives.

Twelve-year-old Ahmed lives in the U.S. state of Virginia. He is visiting his Egyptian relatives for the summer and says he looks forward to the fanous tradition each Ramadan.

"We get presents from our mother and parents and our family, and it's fun for kids and we play together. It makes our family together. And we get chocolate. And we dance," said Ahmed.

But treats or not, the tradition of the fanous lends Egyptian nights a magical quality during Ramadan. 

 

1 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

4 imitations   

模仿( imitation的名词复数 )； 仿效； 仿制品； 伪造物

参考例句：

• Other imitations of this type are to be found in Italian vocabulary. 在意大利词汇中也可以见到这类仿造词。
• Experience, however, might supply us with very creditable imitations of it. 然而经验能给我们提供非常可靠的摹拟品。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 deities   

n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明

参考例句：

• Zeus and Aphrodite were ancient Greek deities. 宙斯和阿佛洛狄是古希腊的神。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Taoist Wang hesitated occasionally about these transactions for fearof offending the deities. 道士也有过犹豫，怕这样会得罪了神。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文

7 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。