Happy Ramadan!

Today is the first day of Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان). What does it mean?
Ramadan is the month of fasting, the ninth month in the Muslim calendar. Fasting is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is considered the month of spirituality, charity and praying. The fasting people are not allowed to eat or drink from when the sun raises until it sets. Generally they should resist the temptations of all desires (food, drinking, kissing, sex etc). In the evenings after sunset, people get together, families gather and friends are invited to have the first meal of the day together, the iftar, that breaks the fast. It is usually a big home cooked dinner and everyone enjoys eating and being together. After sunset the streets, cafes, restaurants are just full of people – way more than usually.

Ok, this was the definition from my friend’s blog and from wikipedia. Now, some of my thoughts.

First of all, what I noticed that literally everyone takes it seriously! Since I got here I’ve met some people in Morocco that do not put a big stress about their religion, praying etc. But everyone that I know is going to fast during this month. I can see that it is really important for them.

Secondly, what does Ramadan mean for me? You can say I’m not Muslim so I shouldn’t care about that at all. Theoretically, it is true. However, I decided to try to fast – not the whole month but at least one full day or couple of them if I manage. And for sure, I will not eat in front of Muslims when they’re next to me or when I’m out. E.g. today – our cleaning lady comes at 10 AM, then I go for meeting with my MCP, then for French classes and I’m back at home after 5 PM. It means I won’t eat or drink anything between 10 AM and 5 PM. And since we have Tunisian person in the flat, maybe I will stop eating because he’s in the flat. Or at least I will do it so that he doesn’t see me. It's not about being fearful but about showing respect and not eating in front of person who is extremely hungry.

The fact that everyone speaks about Ramadan (either they are Muslims or not), the fact that everyone asks you whether you’re going to fast or not, the fact that you will feel a huge difference on the streets before and after sunset makes you feel the special atmosphere of this period. It’s not exactly the same but I can compare it to Christmas or Easter. It’s not about the customs since Catholic festivities are totally different that ones here. But both have this magical, special atmosphere that I just love. You can feel the spirit.

Today, is actually the first morning so I haven’t gone through a Ramadan day yet. I promise to share with you all my thoughts related to it as soon as they appear!

Happy Ramadan!