The Holy Month Of Ramadan
First of all, thank you for all comments about the basement.This is what it looks like now.
It's a work in progress but atleast progress is being made.
On Sunday we celebrated the first day of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar. Islam follows a lunar calendar meaning it changes every year. It is the month of fasting, prayer and charity.
We start the roza (fasting) just before dawn, there is an actual time when the roza starts so all eating must be done before then. We wake up and have sehri (breakfast) which can be as simple as a bowl of cereal to an elaborate multi dished meal. M and I try to open our eyes as little as possible so we stick with simple. We mix it up a bit with eggs and toast, cereal with fruit. In my opinion this is the hardest part of the fast. Forcing yourself to eat a meal in the middle of the night.
Once the roza starts there is no intake of any food or fluids. No sips of water, no medication, no lip balm, toothpaste (we still brush our teeth twice a day just not during the fast) , ointments, make up etc. I miss moisturizing the most.
We focus more on praying and reading the Quran. While you can still read and watch tv you just want to preferably keep it PG.
At dusk you break your roza with a date. Afterwards we have iftar (eat) Once again it may be as simple or elaborate as you like. Currently, with dusk being so late around 7pm we usually break our fast with some tea and cookies and then have dinner. Many of our friends have elaborate nosh sessions all the way up till bedtime. These are the people that end up gaining weight while fasting.. lol.
We sometimes gather at a friends house for iftar - I am hosting on Saturday. Back when we were young we used to stay up all night with friends and have sehri together. Many restaurants will stay open into the wee hours of the morning and offer sehri specials even here in New Jersey. This is when you really miss living in an Islamic country.. the whole atmosphere changes. It's such a fun vibe.
Fasting becomes mandatory upon puberty. But the old and the ill are exempt. As are women when they are pregnant, nursing as well as menstruating.
The boys do fast occasionally during Ramadan. They do it quite enthusiastically, trying to beat last year's number. D wants to try to do the whole month this year. We let them do as many as they feel comfortable with.
I hope I explained this well. Hit me with any questions you may have.
Yes you explained it well for me. Was aware of Ramadan and respect peoples Religions and customs. I do have trouble understanding if it's 35 C to 40 deg C (F95 to 104F) how come people don't suffer from dehydration due to not having enough fluids during the day? (summer time of course)
ReplyDeleteWe adjust our schedules in the heat. Eat and drink hydrating foods when we do eat. And when we are in Islamic countries schools are half days, markets close at noon and stay open later in the night. I lived in a tropical country for 13 years and we always made it work.
DeleteThat is so interesting. Even if you're used to it, fasting must be very hard. Forcing breakfast down when you don't feel like it and are half-asleep is no fun, either. I didn't know that you could not even drink water during the day - that's hard. Ramadan Mubarak!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard when you think about it but when you have been doing it for so long your body adjusts pretty quickly.
DeleteRamadan Mubarak!! This is my first year fasting as a revert. Last year I did try to fast because I wanted to try.
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Curated by Jennifer
That's wonderful. Good luck.
Deletehappy Ramadhan......Ramadhan Mubarak.....
ReplyDeleteI enjoy learning about traditions from all walks of life. Thanks for taking time to explain this so we can all understand. Ramadan Mubarak :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Ramadhan. I work with a number of people that celebrate so am familiar but I did not know you couldn't wear makeup, moisturizer etc. Moisturizer would be the hardest for me as well.
ReplyDeleteSome people do.. it's a gray area. We don't. But boy do I do a thick layer of moisturizer at night.
DeleteI didn't realize the ban extended to lip balm, moisturizers, makeup. toothpaste, etc. Wow! But I guess those things are absorbed by the body too, even though there's no nutritional value to them.
ReplyDeleteIt is about a cleanse from everything. There are different camps that believe different things as in all religions. We refrain.
DeleteRamadan Mubarak!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your explanation, Hena! xxx
Thank you for sharing. Ramadan Mubarak.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
I admire your dedication to the tenants of your faith! I have learned a lot about the major religions of the world by subbing in social studies in middle school. However, I learned a lot from your post that was interesting and informative.
ReplyDeleteHappy to share.
DeleteRamadan Mubarak!
ReplyDeleteI love that you provide all this info for us! I like learning (and never seem to remember from year to year). I think the hardest part for me would be no water.
ReplyDeleteRamadan Mubarak!
I see progress is being made in the basement. Good luck with that. What a mess.
ReplyDeleteramadan mubarak is very interesting, i think you explained it well!! i am not dedicated to any religion and at times i wonder if i have made the right choice!! i like that you follow and enjoy the traditions and that the boys are involved as well!!
ReplyDeleteI had quite a few Muslim students when teaching. I really felt badly for them when they were fasting. I took a couple of classes to learn about roza, and understand it. I liked my multicultural classroom.
ReplyDeleteContinued good luck with the basement.
ReplyDeleteRamadan Mubarak to you and your family!
Thank you for sharing this info, Hena! I always love learning about other religions. As a Catholic, we are also supposed to fast during Lent, but for a long time now, our family just abstains from meat on Fridays.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get your basement back to normal soon. Thank you for explaining it and good luck with the fasting.
ReplyDeleteJulie’s Creative Lifestyle
You did a nice job explaining this. I hope your basement issues resolve quickly. It's hard when things break down or need to be repaired in our homes.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Ramadan holds great significance in my corner of the world.
ReplyDeleteRamadan Mubarak, Hena!
Our basement flooded last weekend too, but it wasn't a finished space. Just dirt and access to plumbing and whatnot. It's drying out. Glad to see you're making progress on your repairs.
ReplyDeleteI have fasted for non-spiritual reasons (colonoscopy and diets) but I've always been able to drink liquids, but if it's only for 12 hours, dawn to dusk, I could probably do it. Not drinking water and no chapstick with be the toughest things for me! Thanks for the explanation on your customs! I found it very enlightening! Happy Ramadhan!
Oh, that's fascinating! In Malaysia, we call the fasting "puasa". I definitely feel like abstaining from water is the most difficult part, I have so much respect for you all!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning more about Ramadan; thank you! Ramadan Mubarak to you and your family! I'm so sorry to see the basement all torn up like that but you are right, at least it is progress. Hopefully it will all be put back together again soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all the ins and outs of this special holiday. We received dates from our neighbors with a little note about their celebration and welcoming us to it. We were touched. Happy Ramadan Hena!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks for that info. Very interesting! I know the point of it is not losing or gaining weight, but I can't help wondering if I'd wind up doing either. On the surface, it seems like I'd eat less. But on the other hand, I can imagine that I'd be so hungry by nightfall, that I'd overeat right before bed! I suppose that like anything else, there are some people who are better at observing the spirit of the fast than others.
ReplyDeleteHappy Ramadan!
ReplyDeleteHappy Ramadan
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you couldn't even drink, wow and not take your meds, I would be a total mess by the time I was done with it. I know in Lent we have fasting (if you do it) but it isn't for the whole month, so that you can take that time to get closer to God.
ReplyDeleteIf you are sick or elderly you do not have to fast. My mother in law has many medications (but the idea of not fasting is appealing to her)so she works with her doctor to create a different schedule for this particular month.
DeleteHappy Ramadan! Thank you for the great explanation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and explaining so well. I didn't know about the lip balm, moisturizer, tooth paste, ... Happy Ramadan and good luck with the basement too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, like others I found this really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for explaining so well, and Ramadan Mubarak!
ReplyDeleteS
Happy Ramadan, Hema! I work with a lot of different nationalities and we have several folks gearing up, and then ready to celebrate Eid after.
ReplyDeleteI hope your basement repair goes quickly and smoothly!
Hello, my friend. I am glad the basement work is progressing, and if you are anything like me, you can close the door and not think about it. Thank you so much for all the information on Ramadan. I am going to share it with Flynn during school. Have a cozy evening.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you this year when it started and with the time change and all making it a longer day (maybe?maybe not?)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know no medication was allowed and wonder what happens if you really need them at precise hours to survive. Is it allowed then?
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine no water (!) but my health would probably make me exempt. Ramadan Mubarak to you and yours, my dear.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your traditions with us, I find it all very interesting. And, ohhh your basement :( I am sure it'll look really nice once it is restored and you have all that behind you!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Ramadan Mubarak! We have a big Muslim population in our town so the holy month of Ramadan is something most of us have been aware of since childhood. Our neighbours own a big Pakistani sweet centre so we look forward to sharing some treats with them at Eid. xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's fabulous. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on some Pakistani sweets!
DeleteRamadan Mubarak
ReplyDeleteYour explanation is appreciated. It takes away my worry about the fasting impact on the elderly.
My pleasure. Same with new moms.. when I was in the midst of having babies I went years without fasting as I was either pregnant or nursing. It is an accommodating religion.. unfortunately media likes to depict it otherwise.
DeleteThank you so much, I enjoyed this post, I enjoy learning and I did not know much of what you shared. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCarla
Very interesting and thanks for explaining Ramadan. It would seem very difficult to do this for an entire month. Do people go to work, and work all day without food or water?
ReplyDeleteYes. It sounds difficult and sometimes the first few days are hard, body needs time to adjust and we may get a headache. But you’d be surprised at how easy it is. We still do everything we would normally do. Minus maybe hitting the gym lol. Technically we are still eating two meals.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. I'm alway so interested in Ramadan.
ReplyDeleteShauna
www.lipglossandlace.net
People gaining weight during a fast - who knew! When I was teaching, I remember some of my kids struggling a bit with the fasting. That's a long day. I hope all turns out well with the basement.
ReplyDeleteI am always glad when you tell us about Ramadan. I love learning about different religions and their traditions and this requires a good deal of fortitude, I would think. (Especially no water.) And thank you for telling us how to say "Happy Ramadan." So, Ramadan Mubarak to you.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting. I love learning about different religions and cultures, and I didn't know that you couldn't drink water. That must be so hard!
ReplyDeleteJulia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Kay of Musings: Wow! I didn’t know fasting was so strict. Thank you for explaining everything.
ReplyDelete