“Khobziyeh”… the most popular dessert in Homs…
“Khobziyeh” Or “Qarmishliya” with its pink and white colors is a special product that Homs has been making for hundreds of years and is only present in its stores. It is associated with the celebration of Halawa Thursday, “Thursday of the dead”, which is one of the 7 Thursdays Homsi people celebrate which are: The Lost, the Shanona, the Mad, the cats, the plants, Al-Halawa and the Sheiks Thursdays.”
People of Homs city used to celebrate on the mid-Thursday of April every year of Al-Halawa Eid, or the Eid of the dead, where they buy big amounts of Homsi Halawa and distribute them to their friends, neighbors, poor people and Quran readers in the graveyard when they visit their beloved dead.
On this occasion, which distinguishes Homs from the rest of the Syrian governorates, sweet shops are filled with pink and white colored cones of Khobziyeh or Al-Halawa that Homs is famous for, along with Bashmiyeh, and Simsimiyya, besides the plain or stuffed Raha.
It is said that Halawa Thursday started a long time ago at Mamluk times nearly in the second half of the 19th century.
Homs, the city of wit, joke and heritage where history will be filled with distinctive special memories of a city that loves life and smiles.
Amal Farhat – Homs