Kawkab al-Sharq, the great artist Umm Kulthum, had rituals that she performed during her concerts, which none of the artists preceded her, including the handkerchief that she was holding in her hand, and she also introduced a chair on the stage until the band finished the introductions to her songs.
Umm Kulthum’s rituals in her concerts were not just formalities, but had reasons that were revealed by the media, Wajdi Al-Hakim, who was known to be close to the great artists at the time, saying: “The handkerchief that Umm Kulthum was holding in her hand, everyone believed that it was a requirement of elegance that she created, But she revealed the hidden one, saying: “She feels anxious and afraid, and has coldness in her extremities, and she is warm with a handkerchief.”
He added: “The chair that she was sitting on until the end of the musical introduction, as she mentioned in her conversations, was to avoid her walking in front of the audience, as she was not strong enough to do so, so the curtain would open for her, and the audience would greet her.
And she would sit on the bench to contemplate the faces and sympathize with them and forget all that when she got involved in singing, and she was completely free a week before any party to be in perfect shape.