CULTURE PORTFOLIO 2
Shanti Kapoor

RAMADAN

                The tradition of Ramadan started from the Qoran.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam.  It is one month of the year in the lunar calendar when you fast from fajer prayer ( (صلاة الفجرto magrib prayer (صلاة المغرب), so fasting from sunrise to sunset.  It is not considered fasting if you do not pray during the whole month.  

Because it is lunar calendar, each year Ramadan is twelve to thirteen days earlier than the year before.  During Ramadan families come together in praying and breaking the fast every day.  There is a wide sense of community during this month.   During Ramadan in majority Muslim countries restaurants, cafes, and shops are all open much later. 

Breaking the fast is called iftar افطار and occurs at sundown.  This is when Muslims refrain from eating in order to empathize with the less fortunate.

Hunger also reminds Muslim to repent .

There is also popular culture (pop culture) that surrounds the month of Ramadan. TV shows and  fashion both become ways to celebrate the holy month. There are shows that only air during Ramadan and clothes decorated with more design that symbolizes the spirit of Ramadan.

Ramadan is also characterized by specific foods that are eaten during the month, usually  during iftar. It is customary to break the fast with dates, but different countries and regions have different traditional foods they eat during iftar. Iftar’s counterpart, suhoor, is a meal eaten before sunrise. The foods eaten during this meal are less specific but can be from family to family.

During this past summer I was lucky enough to experience Ramadan in a Muslim country, Morocco.  I was living with a host family and Ramadan was a very important time not just for my host family but for the entire community.  People, usually the female head of the household who will be doing the majority of the cooking, start preparing for Ramadan weeks in advance.  My host mother saved money and made meals much smaller in the weeks prior in order to have the extravagant meals once the holy month arrived.   A few days before Ramadan began my host mother would be cooking and preparing foods all day, especially sweet desserts which could last for the entire month.  At around 6 or 7PM we would all gather in the salon and wait for the last hours of the fast to pass, usually watching TV.  My host mother would be busy in the kitchen preparing for iftar.  When it came time to break the fast, my family would pray and we would start by eating dates and Moroccan soup, then the main meal followed by many desserts.  After iftar I would usually go into the city to shops or cafes with my host siblings and friends and enjoy the night before returning home and perhaps taking a nap before suhoor.  Experiencing Ramadan in Morocco was a great experience. 

Photo of the first Iftar my host mother made: