Ramadan is, I guess, a “floating” holiday, for lack of a better word. Like Easter … it starts based on, well, astronomy. It runs according to a lunar Arabic calendar and is dependent on when the moon is in a certain phase that marks the 8th month of that calendar year. Because of this, Ramadan starts about 11-12 days earlier each year. Like, this year it started September 1 … next year it will start August 20-ish. So, in like 10 years it will fall in Spring rather than Fall. Since it is all calculated around the moon cycles, nothing is really written in stone with regard to the timing of things and events during this time.
During Ramadan, people get up an hour before sunrise and do some kind of breakfast ritual and have prayer time (this is never the same time twice, since sunrise is different every day). Then they don’t eat or drink anything again until sundown (which, again, changes each day). The idea is that it serves to remind them about the folks who are less fortunate than themselves, who don’t have food and water. It’s a way to commune and connect with those people. A way to remind themselves how fortunate they are to have plenty of food. Of course, it seems to me kind of extreme to deny yourself even water, especially when it’s 115 degrees outside, but no one asked me. I think, if one were REALLY looking, they might could find other ways to commune with the poor other than forcing their bodies into metabolic shock each day for a month. Like, I’m guessing the poor people aren’t sitting at home in their air conditioning watching satellite on their big screen TVs. Or, maybe, the poor aren’t sending their kids to dance/swimming/gymnastics/fill-in-the-blank lessons each week. I’m guessing, too, that they aren’t playing their PS2 or Wii games and maybe aren’t shopping at the malls or going to the movies. It seems like maybe giving up these things might be less taxing on one’s immune system (the whole darned island is sick at the moment, by the way!). Again, I wasn’t called upon for my opinion in the matter, though.
The thing that is the most scary about people doing this to themselves is the effect it has on ME and my family. Here we have people who have gotten up at roughly 3:30 in the morning, are starving and dehydrated, which both lead to irritability at lack of good judgment … most of the people on the verge of getting sick … and then we throw them in CARS and let them loose out there on the roads with the rest of us. Now, the people in Bahrain can’t drive as it is. And, I’m not even just talking the locals … it’s EVERYONE. I will just have to tell you stories about the things I’ve seen on a daily basis on the roads around here … there’s no way I could actually blog that stuff – my hands would go numb and fall off. But, here we’re adding to the ordinarily scary driving conditions with these half asleep, starved people who can’t think right. YIKES! Did I mention that I wasn’t requested to sit on the planning committee?
That being said, things are much quieter and laid back during this time. Most businesses have special hours, generally opening around 9:00 in the morning and closing up around 2:00pm, so people do have the opportunity to go back to bed and get a nap after they have done their morning thing. Also, the early closing gets them out and back home early, before the hottest part of the day and also in time so they can rest before Iftar (which is the breaking of the fast in the evening). The malls close up around 3:00 in the afternoon, then re-open at 7:00 at night. Our newest, biggest mall has just stayed closed until 4:00 in the afternoon, not even opening in the morning at all. And, of course, all the restaurants are closed until time for Iftar. That’s kind of strange, actually, because there are NO open places anywhere for snacks or drinks (except the grocery stores). All the restaurants, all the Starbucks, all the Costas, all the little tea houses and places … all closed all day. If you go to the mall in the morning, it’s weird to see all those places locked up with chairs on the tables. And, last weekend, Van and I went to see Tropic Thunder (HYSTERICAL!) one afternoon, so all the concessions were closed … no popcorn. Strange.
The really cool thing about Ramadan is the emphasis on charity. Schools and clubs all over the place take part in collection and donation. The kids in Connor’s school painted clay money pots and spent a couple of weeks putting loose change in them. They went back to school last week with their pots and they had a ceremonial smashing of said pots and gathered up all the coins. They ended up with DB1300, which is about $3000, that the school then sent off to a charity organization that donates to poor families on the island. It’s a great time of compassion and giving, which is very cool.
Mid-Ramadan is called Gerga’uon. Families will get all dressed up in their finest duds and go out on the evening of Gerga’uon, walking around, knocking on the doors of their neighbors, who will greet them with some blessing of well being and then give them date sweets and nuts. Might make a Westerner think of Halloween, without the scary masks. At Kayleigh’s school they had a festival that day in celebration of Gerga’uon and the kids all went to school in “traditional” dress. I found a little abaya that would fit her and then got her a pretty head scarf with pink-flower bling.
I didn’t know how to do her scarf, but one of the teachers helped us out on that one. It was really cool. Both kids came home with favors and small gifts and had a great day at school.
Not being Muslim, we didn't do the traditional thing of going to the neighbors' houses, but now that I think about it, we could have gone around to our neighbors here in the compound and maybe given them some treats (which is kind of backwards, but that's just the kind of folks we are). Maybe I'll do that next year.
After Ramadan there is a 5 day holiday called Eid Al Fitr. It’s basically just a celebration that people can eat and drink again, as far as I can tell. But, I’m guessing it’s a 5 day party. Again, it’s unclear exactly when Ramadan ends and Eid begins, until the last minute, because it depends on the moon. As a matter of fact, we didn’t know until about an hour ago that Eid actually will start tomorrow … it had been figured for either tomorrow or Wednesday, but it was unsure until the powers that be were able to see the moon and know if it was time (at least, that’s my understanding of it). But, when the kids left school this afternoon, we didn’t know if they’d be going back tomorrow or if that would be their first day of for Eid … so I had to come home and make sure they had clean uniforms, just in case. Now we know … Eid starts tomorrow. Starbucks here I come!!
So, that’s what I’ve learned so far about Ramadan and the customs surrounding it. Next year Ramadan will be an interesting time, with the way it will fall on the calendar. Maybe by then I’ll have learned a lot more and will have more information to add. Here’s to learning and bridging the gap!
2 comments:
Happy Ramadan to you! I totally forgot to fast! And wow... you are going to be so educated! Its kind of scary seeing little Kayleigh dressed up like that... don't they have any pretty pastel scarf thingees for little kids? Black is just so extreme!
Actually, the truth is, it kind of IS extreme for a little girl to be in an abaya. Generally, children don't start with that kind of thing until around 12 years old, when puberty hits. So, no ... there aren't any sweet colored ones for girls because if a girl that age is wearing one in the first place, that family is VERY traditional. I have to say, though, I think black isn't the best color anyway, regardless of how old the person is. It's just too darned hot! BUT, with regard to fashion, black is nice because all that gaudy gold bling really shows up on it! And, they DO like their bling around here.
Post a Comment