Sheikh Hamdan Colony in Karama at nightfall during Ramadan takes on a festive air. The place is decked out in bright lights, and the air is filled with the sounds of Mappila melodies. Hundreds of locals flock to one of Dubai’s oldest housing colonies to participate in the Ramadan street food festival, one of the month’s highlights, as rows of street food counters line the tiny gullies.
Visitors have welcomed the Mappila tunes that the local restaurants are playing. Muslim folk songs glorify prominent Islamic figures or historical events and are composed in a particular Arabi-Malayalam script. Social media videos from the event show the audiences spontaneously breaking into communal sing-alongs.
Since its debut the previous year, the street festival has grown immensely popular, particularly with locals from Kerala, a state in southern India, for whom the event links to their hometowns. Nishi Abdul Offar and her mother, brother, husband, and two kids traveled from Dubailand to Karama for a visit.
“I’m from this town in Kerala called Ponnani,” she remarked. “During Ramadan, street food festivals are customary for us. I feel like I’m home when I come here. This place has a unique atmosphere and sound system.
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