Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. It is the Islamic month of fasting, when Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise until sunset - with the intention of learning patience, modesty and spirituality from this practice. It's a time when Muslims (the UAE is about 96% Muslim) ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. The celebrate Ramadan because they believe it to be the month in which the first verses of the Qu'ran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The closest thing I can compare it to for Christians is the observance of Lent.

The dates for Ramadan change each year because Muslims follow a lunar calendar rather than a solar calendar, but this year, Ramadan lasted from August 22 to September 19. Next year, Ramdan will move forward by about 11 days.

So what is Ramadan like for Muslims? Here are four of the most obvious ways. First, most Muslims wake at around 3:30 or 4am to have a substantial breakfast before morning prayers at around 4:30am. Second, the workday is shortened for everyone (by law) from 8 hours to 6 hours. That way Muslims who are fasting can get in a little siesta. Third, after sunset and after evening prayer, at around 6:30pm, everyone will break their fast with a large dinner, called an Iftar. Ramadan is a time of the year to be with family and friends - similar to the way Christians want to spend Christmas with family - and so most families gather each evening for their Iftar or afterward to spend time together. Everybody ends up becoming a little more nocturnal during Ramadan.

So what is it like for non-Muslims like Cindy and I to live here during Ramadan? Well, it's different. Because most people are active in the morning and evening but sleeping during part of the afternoon, most businesses change their hours. For instance, Cindy and I have been car-shopping and we were surprised to hear that most dealerships are open from about 9-12 in the morning, and then again from 9-12 at night. Most stores and shops have similar hours. So it takes some planning to get used to the adjusted schedule. It was a little hard to convince ourselves to head out to car-shop at 9 at night - usually that's when we're winding down for the day - but that's what we did.

Also, because most people are fasting, it is considered highly offensive for people who aren't fasting to eat or drink in public during daytime. Restaurants are required by law to close during the daylight hours (some will still do carryout, however). And the University where I work has a special room set aside where non-Muslim faculty, staff, and students to go to eat their lunches and snacks. Not a big deal, but you just have to plan what you're taking for lunch a little more carefully - you can't just run over to the campus Burger King like usual.

The other big difference is Iftar. Since most of the country is fasting, dinner becomes a major event every day. Restaurants and hotels go all-out for Iftar buffets. We hear that most Muslims put on weight during Ramadan (kind of like the holidays back home :) - I'm waiting to see if gyms run post-Ramadan specials). Even non-Muslims attend Iftars - and the meals are pretty impressive. Below are some pictures of some of the simpler Iftars that we went to with fellow faculty members. We also went to a couple of full-on five-star Iftar buffets. More than anything, we enjoyed the Iftars as a way to get together with people and start to make some new friends.

Enjoy the pictures and let us know if you have any questions.






































PS - The bald guy in the foreground on the right is Kevin, the guy who led us to the "teahouse." [If you missed that story, look for the post from earlier in September entitled "Misadventure #1"].