I remember writing a post about Ramadan last year this time and thinking how tough the month would be.
Tomorrow is officially the first day of Ramadan in the world and right before the dawn (Sehur) will be my last meal of the day.
Tomorrow biggest part of Sarajevo (and the Muslim world in general) will enter the holy month during which they will not eat, drink, smoke, swear or commit any inappropriate actions during the day and abstain from alcohol as well as all other dangerous substances for the entire month.
So for those of you who don’t know what Ramadan is I will give you my own little definition of it.
Ramadan is a Muslim holy month during which they cleanse as well as test the endurance of the body by abstaining from eating, drinking during the day. A person who is fasting (official term for abstinence during this month) can eat, drink and smoke during the night i.e. as soon as the sun sets (Iftar).
During this month a person is supposed to try and be a best Muslim as they can be, obey all the rules, pray five times a day and be cleansed of all sins as well as get into a deeper state of mind in order to understand more about the hungry, less fortunate world and through the process learn more about oneself and be closer to God (Allah).
The Qur’an tells us that not everyone is obliged to fast: women during pregnancy, menstrual cycle, older people, sick people, young children, people who are traveling and people who are on medications are not supposed to do it. Actually for them it is forbidden to do it in order not to cause damage to their bodies. This doesn’t mean that people respect this rule. A lot of people don’t.
I am not an example of a religious person.
I try to blend in with the crowd, with my friends, colleagues and fast, but do this not for them, but for my own benefit.
I do not pray, I do not brag about fasting, I do respect the rules though.
The hardest thing about this month is the fact that during Ramadan, when fasting, you are not allowed to drink water.
The best thing about Ramadan is Bayram. It is a three day holiday that comes after fasting for 1 month during which families get together, big feasts are organized and during which grandparents give little kids presents and money in order to award them for their hard work during the month.
School hours are shortened, university classes end sooner, work finishes early and somehow life seems very slow.
There is one thing I love about Ramadan and it’s called Somun – it is a specially made bread, the bakers make only during this month which I flat and round and is eaten during Iftar with the food. Somehow I always associate Ramadan with this bread and it makes my mouth water.
Anyways, tonight I have a party organized by some friends (no alcohol obviously for this one) and it will probably end at dawn when we will all go to Sehur together and start off Ramadan in a proper fashion.
May Ramadan be a wonderful experience for us all.
10 Comments:
It sounds like a very trying, yet rewarded experience. I celebrated Greek Easter with a friend of mine in which only certain foods were given up at the beginning, but as the days progressed, more and more items were removed until the last day nothing could be consumed. Afterwards, a big feast and celebration! It was difficult adhere to the rules, purely out of the habit of just eating things without thinking, but I managed to do it correctly and the feast at the end was an amazing payoff!
Best wishes for Ramadan!
Lovely description! Would love to experience all this once (watching it, hahaha, I couldn't survice without water during the day...did I get that right?)
@ carissa: food or water :) you cannot consume anything while the sun is up
Thanks for the clarification on the water ;-) I think I could go without food, but without water....I think I would faint :-s How do they do it?
What about athletes? How do they survive trainings without drinking? Especially if it's an outdoor sport and it's a country where it's really hot? Or are trainings cancelled for an entire month? Maybe my questions sound stupid, but these are things that I've always asked myself...:)
Merili, I admire you for keeping Ramadan. That type of fast sounds difficult. I have a brother who married a Muslim lady originally from Pakistan who keeps Ramadan. I respect her for it. She has shared some about this part of her faith with me. The three day holiday after Ramadan does sound really valuable, too.
@ carissa: I am happy to answer any question at all so if there is something you wanna know feel free to write :) Athletes as well as other people who have to (professional training) use their bodies during the day are not obliged to fast. As a matter of fact no one is obliged but they fit into the category of pregnant women, sick and old people.
If people train as a hobby then usually they stop training during the day while fasting and continue during the night when they can eat and drink.
i've grown up knowing about ramadan and that some of my friends fast during this period... but never really know very much about it actually. thank you for your beautiful description. i've learnt something new today...
Happy ramadan!!!
nice description merili!! i hav friends who are also in the same phase!!
take care!
;-))
Ramazan bayramin kutlu olsun guzelim.
"Somun" sozcugu aslinda Turkce'de "loaf of bread" anlamina geliyor. ;)
Post a Comment
<< Home