So, as I mentioned before, it is the month of Ramadan right now. It is the 9th month of the lunar calendar and this year, it started Jun 7 and should end July 7 (but since it depends on the moon, no one can say for sure). During Ramadan, practicing Muslims abstain from drinking, eating and smoking from dawn to dusk everyday. Ramadan is traditionally a time of self reflection, teaches self restraint and helps develop sympathy for those less fortunate. As a Muslim, I have been observing Ramadan my whole life in terms of the lessons learned and the values that are emphasized, and have been fasting regularly as well for several years. But being in a Muslim country during Ramadan is an entirely different experience from observing Ramadan in America, where life around you seems to be the same as it always is. Here are a couple of key differences- Starting the first day of Ramadan, people's entire schedules are flipped completely. People tend to lay low during the day while fasting and stay out through the night until Suhoor, when sunrise marks the beginning of the next fast. In Jordan, it is actually illegal to eat or drink in public during the day out of respect for those who are fasting, so all restaurants (except for those catering to tourists) are closed during the day and then open at 5:00 or so to start prepping for dinner and preparing food to go for families to pick up before Iftar (the breaking of the fast at sunset). Here is a picture of many bags of food ready for pickup for iftar- When we go out to eat, we usually arrive at 7:30 (sunset/iftar is at 7:45) and everyone will be sitting at their tables as they start to serve the food but no one is eating. As soon as the call to prayer rings out, everyone turns to the eldest in the room to see if they have started and then everyone eats a date to bring their fast. Here is us right before iftaar with full mezze set out- It has honestly become kind of natural not to eat or drink in public because literally no one does it and we always look for opportunities to go to a private place (eg. on the bus with the shades closed) and take a sip of water so we don't get dehydrated. Even when we sit on our beautiful rooftop terrace and watch the sun set the Ramadan lights twinkle, as soon as the azaan begins, you can hear plates clatter in the neighboring apartment building as people start their iftaar. Yesterday was the full moon and marks the halfway point through the month of Ramadan so there is only 15 more days left! And since today was the summer solstice, the days will be getting shorter! I'm excited to see Jordan when (as my teacher, Ustadha Umayma, said,) "Jordan comes back to life after Ramadan", but I am glad to have this insight into how Middle Eastern countries operate during Ramadan. I will update this if I think of anything else. Ma'salama, Sophia
1 Comment
Mustafa Vahanvaty
6/30/2016 10:24:58 am
Hi Sophia
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We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. !أهلا و ساهلاHi! I'm Sophia, a high schooler from the San Francisco Bay Area. I received a scholarship through the State Dept. to study Arabic in Jordan in the summer of 2016. Categories
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