Ramadan

Ramadan is the annual holy month of fasting for the Islamic faith. Fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, requires people to not place anything in their mouths from sunrise to sunset. (No food, water, cigarettes, etc.) Ramadan is also considered the time for Muslims to be pure - they don't wear makeup, they wear less revealing clothing, and they abstain from intimate relations during the fasting part of the day.

Each Islamic country has different traditions as to when Ramadan starts, but it always follows the lunar cycle and all countries start around the same time. On Monday night, loud sirens blasted that Tuesday would be the start of Ramadan in Morocco.

Each morning at 4:30 am, I briefly wake up (yeah - it's so loud it even wakes me up!) to the sound of loudspeakers blasting a siren. This is a signal for everyone to wake up and prepare breakfast to eat before the fast begins around 6am. At school, the Moroccan support staff is often found napping on couches in the staff room during their breaks as the fast is exhausting and they are up late eating with family. One of the aides in the lower school was telling me that she went to bed at 3am the other night! I have lunch at school on one of the back balconies with some other staff members, so that we don't eat right in front of the people fasting. The cafeteria still serves food as children, pregnant women, menstruating women, diabetics, and others whose health is not in good condition are not required to fast.

The most fascinating part of Ramadan is the evenings. Traffic is terrible and many accidents occur as drivers are irritable from not having eaten all day. By 6pm, people are rushing home or to the homes of family members, so there are many cars and people on the street. By 7pm when the loudspeaker goes again, it is silent on the streets of this city of millions. Every shop is closed and there are no cars on the streets. Sometimes, you can hear the sound of clinking silverware. That is the time that f'tour starts - the breaking of the fast. The only people left on the street are those that cannot afford food. It is really dangerous to be out and about during this time as muggings are almost guaranteed.

Last night, I watched as some people put out trays of food on the sidewalks, so that those who didn't have a home to go to would have something to eat. Ramadan is also a time for charity, so the number of people begging increases during this month.

Moroccans break the fast by eating dates, a soup only served during Ramadan called harira, and special cookies for during Ramadan that are made with honey and sesame seeds called shebekia, among other things.

After breaking the fast, it is time to pray and for shops and restaurants to open up. Every shop and restaurant have different hours during Ramadan. Most restaurants and cafes are closed during the day and open up around 8pm. The grocery stores and shopping centers are open from 9am-6pm and 8:30 - 11:00pm. By the time I get home from work around 5 or 5:30, there is very little time to get shopping done before I have to be inside for safety reasons.

Dinner is served between 11pm and midnight, depending on the family. Then it's off to bed to do it all over again.

The PTA at our school is holding a f'tour next Friday. I plan on trying to fast that day to really get a feel for what the people around me are going through on a daily basis. I expect it to be quite difficult! I've heard the going without water is the hardest part. I'll let you know how it goes!