Fanous

What it is

A fanous is a lantern, usually built from metal and glass, that Egyptians hang on their homes, restaurants, hotels and malls when Ramadan comes. Some are large and fixed to a wall or a balcony rail. Others are small enough for a child to carry. They are often bought or brought out in sets, so one street will show many shapes and sizes together. Inside, the light came from a candle or from oil on a wick in older times. The lantern is a decoration, not an object of worship, though it belongs to a holy month.

The name's meaning

Fanous comes into Arabic from the Greek word phanos, where it named a light or a lantern. In older use it pointed to a lamp that shows the way. The Arabic plural is fawanis. English writers spell the singular in several ways, and fanoos, fanos and phanous all appear. In Egypt the full name for the Ramadan lantern is fanous Ramadan, which ties the object to the month. The word also serves as a personal or business name.

Origins and history

The Ramadan lantern is traced to medieval Egypt, in the Fatimid period. One account says that the people of Cairo came out carrying lights to greet the Fatimid caliph al-Muizz when he entered the city during Ramadan. Lighting the streets was already an old habit in Egypt by then. Long before that, the same kind of hand-held light developed from torches burned at Pharaonic festivals. Those festivals welcomed the appearance of Sirius and set aside a day for each of five deities: Osiris, Horus, Isis, Seth and Nephtys. The Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi, who lived from 1364 to 1442, wrote that torches and candles were also lit at Christmas time. In time the lantern travelled to many Muslim countries.

How it is kept

As Ramadan begins, households in Egypt bring out their lanterns and hang them at windows, doors and balconies. Whole streets can be lit this way. Restaurants, hotels and malls join in, and the lanterns are often grouped in rows, with each design different from the next. Children often carry a small fanous of their own. Homes and streets keep the lights through the month, and the same decoration appears in countries far from Egypt.

Today and change

The fanous is no longer only an Egyptian sight. Muslim communities far from Egypt hang lanterns when Ramadan comes. It has also become decoration in its own right, used in restaurants, hotels and homes, and arranged in groups of different designs and shapes. The word serves as a name for people and businesses. In Egypt the metal-and-glass lantern is still the familiar form. What began as a way of lighting a street now carries the mood of the month.

How Fanous is kept

Families in Egypt hang the lantern at the start of Ramadan, on balconies, windows, doors and along the street. Restaurants, hotels and malls put them up too, usually in groups where no two designs are alike. Children often carry a fanous of their own in the evening. The lantern is a decoration, not an object of worship, and it stays up through the month as a sign that Ramadan is being kept. Outside Egypt, Muslim communities hang lanterns in the same way when the month arrives.

When and where

The lantern is kept during Ramadan, the holy month, and it goes up each night of the month in homes and along the streets. At other times of year it serves as ordinary decoration, and the word is also borrowed as a name.

Egypt, where the custom began and where it is strongest, above all in Cairo, the city tied to the story of the first lantern procession. From there the lantern spread to many Muslim countries, and it now appears in homes, restaurants, hotels and malls beyond Egypt.

What Fanous means

The word behind fanous carries the idea of light, and of a lamp that shows the way. So the lantern stands for hope, and for the comfort a light gives when the night is dark. Hung through Ramadan, it turns a street into a shared space and marks the month for everyone who passes. Because it is decoration rather than a ritual object, people of any faith can enjoy it. For Egyptians it also recalls a city going out with lights to welcome a ruler.

Days Fanous is marked

Questions people ask about Fanous

See also

MawlidAn annual festival marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked by poetry, processions and feasts.ZaffaA musical wedding procession common in Arab cultures, featuring music and dancing.NayrouzA Coptic feast marking the new year and honoring martyrs, kept in Egypt and Ethiopia.Mother's DayA worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family care

Good reading and sources

• Fanous on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.