Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — On Eid Al-Adha day the streets of Makkah are empty because pilgrims and people volunteering for Haj are in Arafat. They move from Muzdalifah to Mina, and that's why this time of year is the most appropriate time to change the garment of the Kaaba. Many of the religious and social customs and traditions in Saudi Arabia are inherited from grandparents and parents who pass on the traditions baton to the children, especially those during special occasions, Al-Hayat reported.

Despite the non-observance and the fading of some customs and traditions due to social factors and urbanization and modernization of the society, there are customs and traditions that are still firmly established, especially those that are associated with religious events. On Arafat day, which is called "the day of the Khalef" the elderly return to celebrate this day in their own way and lead the women onto the streets in groups. Men and women go out in groups and have special traditional conversations carrying baskets of coffee and date pastries while heading to the house of God. This custom they have agreed to call "the day of the Khalef." They spend that day in the Grand Mosque and pray for the pilgrims.

Most of the neighborhoods of Makkah, such as: Masfla, Mansour, Jarul, Hajlah, and Ajyad, Rea Bakhsh, remain during this day completely free of pilgrims, because they are involved in the Haj rituals in the holy sites. And despite how old the custom is, the women of Makkah are still keen on teaching their daughters to practice them. The women of Makkah, who have lived in the neighborhoods of Al-Khalef, now go to gatherings to hold lectures and seminars, and may eat together after fasting on the day of Arafat, which represents the day of the greatest pilgrimage.

And the reason why the women focus on making dates pastries rather than other desserts or sweets, says Khaleda Al-Thaqafi, is that, "The Haj season is distinguished from other occasions by baking date pastries because the pilgrims on their way to Makkah would take food that helped them perform their rituals and fueled their energy with nutritional value. Dates and flour have provide that in addition these pastries are easy to store and don't go off easily. This ease of transporting this pastry made it popular among the pilgrims in that period."