Khartoum Local Custom Tips by uglyscot

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.

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In most parts of the Sudan people sleep on an angareb- a wooden framed bed whose body is of rope, fashioned into a design.
In the past the ropes were of sisal, but now more likely to be of plastic or plastic rope.
If the tension sags after long use, a man can come and tighten the ropes , or even re-weave it if necessary. To do this he perches on the wooden frame and passes the rope back and fro in his chosen design.
A cotton-filled mattress is then put on the bed. This is more comfortable than the modern foam-filled mattresses which are too hot in summer.

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It is usual for people to eat together from a round tray. Many dishes including meat, salads, a stew of some kind are eaten with bread, rice or kisra [an unleavened 'bread' made from sorghum, which is wafer thin}.
People dip in to the dishes using two or three fingers of their right hand.
The left hand is unclean as used for ablutions. A similar idea to the Latin 'sinister'.
Foreign guests may be given a spoon if they request one.
Beware, some people feel or squeeze the meat in order to find the softest pieces.
Men are usually fed first and get the choicest dishes, then the women and children have whatever is left.

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Women- if you see a man wearing a jellabiya that reaches above his ankles, don't expect him to offer to shake hands. He will be a member of a strict religious sect, who will never look a woman in the eye or touch her.

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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.

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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.

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Saturday is the start of the week - though this is likely to change very soon with the introduction of Friday and Saturday as weekend. So; in schools it is customary for the schoolchildren to clean the school. It will be done in rotation, so sometimes you will find a few girls going to school carrying the local 'brush' ,a bundle of dom palm hearts bundled to make a mukshasha. This is a very efficient means of dealing with the dusty ground.

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Women were accustomed to carrying things on heir heads, anything from pots or pails of water, wood , grass, baskets of vegetables., churns of milk. This is still very common in rural areas, and from time to time in Khartoum among the lowlier levels of society.
One Friday morning I saw this early riser either on her way home from the vegetable market. Or perhaps carrying her utensils to her site where she sells tea.
Their sense of balance is fantastic.

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