The Christian Science Monitor

Another pandemic Ramadan in Jordan, but cannon’s boom is a balm

A pair of M102 howitzer cannons stand in the Nakheel Plaza in downtown Amman, Jordan, April 21, 2021. The guns fire blanks at sunset to signal the end of the daylong Ramadan fast, reviving a tradition that evokes a simpler time.

At 7:14 on the dot, the artillery brigade officers fire the twin cannons into the sunset. The booms reverberate through the valley and up the crowded hills of the Jordanian capital.

The daylong fast is over. Iftar is served.

As Jordan marks its second Ramadan under lockdown from the coronavirus, officials are reviving a rather loud tradition. For Jordanians dealing with the stresses of pandemic-induced unemployment and uncertainty, it offers an audible celebration that all can take part in, and a bit of nostalgic

Jordan hit hardUniting citiesVictim of modernity

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