Ramadan Kareem

"Ramadan is Generous"

Starting tomorrow, Sept 13, we enter the month of Ramadan. This is the month that muslims celebrate the revealing of the Koran. It falls in the 9th Islamic month. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, so each year the 9th Islamic month moves slightly forward in our calendar. So next year, Ramadan will be slightly earlier in the year.

Here is a picture of the Kaba in Mecca. You can see the 1,000s of people gathered for prayers during the Hajj (the holy trip to Mecca) during Ramadan.





Muslims observe Ramadan by fasting during the daylight hours of the month. It is a time of showing respect and appreciation for the revealing of the Koran. The month is characterized by a spirit of giving and gathering with family. In Dubai, non-Muslims are not expected to fast, but we are asked to respect the fasting period by keeping all eating and drinking out of public (including in our cars). Many of the smaller restaurants are closed during the days. But the larger restaurants and chains will be open, they will have temporary curtains sheilding the eating and drinking from sight. At the end of the day, around 8pm, Muslims will break the fast with dates and water. This is followed by a huge feast called Iftar. Most of the big hotels and restaurants will host huge Iftar feasts each night where there is eating and a great party spirit.

Ramadan is also a time for giving generously. There are many charities that benefit from the generousity of the people during Ramadan. People are asked to think of the poor



In addition, to fasting, Muslims are asked to follow the teachings of the Koran even more closely. Non-Muslims are asked to be more conservative in their dress - mostly this means wearing shits with sleeves for women.


In Dubai, even though it is the law to observe Ramadan, in practice there is no penalty for not following their requests. If you eat/drink in public and wear skimpy tops, no one will stop you. But it is viewed as a sign of disrespect.

The end of Ramadan is a holiday called Eid al Fitr. Most companies will observe a few days off during Eid. This week is marked by everyone getting together in celebration, wearing their finest closthes, and feasting together.

Given all this feasting, I would bet that you could gain weight during Ramadan - even though you're fasting during the day.





More information:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
http://www.isboston.org/v3.1/viewitem.asp?DocID=876&MenuID=71&ParentID=7
http://www.grapeshisha.com/Ramadan-fasting-and-feasting-newsletter.html