Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan Kareem….
I must have seen 30 Ramadans before I arrived in Cairo… at least 30… I was born on an Eid-ul-Fitr, just after a Ramadan.
To me Ramadan in India… was a passive thing… that happened to Muslims… though; it meant that after the Ramadan would be Eid… when I can go to the houses of my Muslim friends and have a bowlful of delicious "siwai"- dipped in molasses. The taste and aroma of the siwai was absolutely heavenly… it was the oriental meeting with the Arab… Arabs, too, make something like siwai… but often it is not dipped in molasses… when that dish came to India… perhaps, somebody invented siwai dipped in molasses… and as they say the rest was history… today Eid-ul-Fitr is often referred as "Siwaiyon wali Eid" that is the Eid in which siwai is cooked… or referred to as Mithee Eid… the sweet Eid.
When I was about 16, I befriended a Muslim friend… who went on to become one of my best friends… his association made me a bit more involved in the process of Ramadan and Eid…
However it took Egypt… to engulf me with the spirit of Ramadan.
There is something magical about Ramadans in Egypt… if you meet somebody… he greets you with a Ramadan Kareem… and then you reply… Allahu-Akram. (Literally translated… Ramadan is benevolent and you reply that God is the most benevolent).
Everybody fasts and feasts during Ramadan… everybody. From the rich to the poor … from the elderly to the young … and that I think displays the egalitarian message of Islam.
During the second year of my stay in Egypt, I tried fasting… in fact I did it for four days (no big achievement, people tend to fast for 30 to 31 days at a stretch)… it was difficult… waking up in the morning and having something… my wife was not around, so I didn’t have anybody to cook for me… and I being a lethargic cook could only make some cheese sandwich for myself…
Anyway… let's get down to the unique features of an Egyptian Ramadan… and as a disclaimer, let me confess that I haven’t seen any other Muslim country so as to say that Egyptian Ramadan is unique… I haven’t even lived in Indian Muslim localities so as to compare Egypt to India.
The day I woke up in the morning to take the pre-dawn breakfast… I heard a drum beat… the sound grew larger and larger… and then fainter and fainter… somebody was passing by my street beating the drum…. It is a unique feature of Egyptian Ramadan… a drummer, who alarms people, wakes them up to have their pre-dawn meal…
For most of the people… a pre-dawn meal is a lavish affair… but for many others it’s a modest affair… they tend to quote from the life of the Prophet, who lived a modest life… and from a purely medical point of view, I am told, the latter are correct.
People generally go to sleep after having their pre-dawn meal…
They wake up again at around 9 and then there is a mad scramble to reach their places of work… a very very mad scramble… tempers runs high… I have seen occasional fights and altercations during the first few days of the Ramadan… they tend to become fewer and fewer, with the passage of time…
Somebody told me… that Ramadan is a test… God wants to test the patience and devotion of the people… and he gives them the strength to go through the ordeal of this one month.
During the Ramadan days… the restaurant are empty… though Egyptians don’t mind people eating in front of them… but it is often advisable and considerate that one should refrain from eating in front of a fasting Muslim. I refrained.
It is said that the essence of Ramadan is to feel the pain of hunger… and to avoid gluttony… according to a teaching… the food for 2 people is enough for 3 and the food for 3 is enough for 4… it is a noble thought, indeed. Probably this is the reason… every religion has prescribed one form of fasting or the other. Fasting cleanses your system… gives you empathy towards the poor… and also builds your patience levels.
And then towards the evening… there is another mad scramble to reach homes… to have a breakfast together… among the near and dear ones… this time of the day is often considered very important. People don’t want to miss being close to their family members during this time.
And even if one is stuck… you would find people offering others dates, food plates. It’s a bonanza time for the poor… all the big hotels of the city offer free buffet at this time of the day… I am witness to one of them… the Marriot in Zamalek… whose buffest is considered out of this world… and often even not so poor line up to have a taste of it.
Around this time… all the streets are full with tables and chairs… and people are offered food… best they can have, ever. In a way… it is a time… when poor actually get good food.
And then there are beautiful decorations.... tents… one glimpse of them and you would think that you have entered a festivity zone.
On the lighter side… I realized that the number of marriages suddenly jump manifolds just after the Ramadan… I asked if there was any religious significance of this… (In Hinduism, certain days are considered auspicious for marriage)… my friend laughed. He reminded me that during Ramadan days… one not only refrains from food… but also sex.
Ramadan in Egypt was a unique experience… it made me feel a part of the tradition despite being a non-Muslim.
I must have seen 30 Ramadans before I arrived in Cairo… at least 30… I was born on an Eid-ul-Fitr, just after a Ramadan.
To me Ramadan in India… was a passive thing… that happened to Muslims… though; it meant that after the Ramadan would be Eid… when I can go to the houses of my Muslim friends and have a bowlful of delicious "siwai"- dipped in molasses. The taste and aroma of the siwai was absolutely heavenly… it was the oriental meeting with the Arab… Arabs, too, make something like siwai… but often it is not dipped in molasses… when that dish came to India… perhaps, somebody invented siwai dipped in molasses… and as they say the rest was history… today Eid-ul-Fitr is often referred as "Siwaiyon wali Eid" that is the Eid in which siwai is cooked… or referred to as Mithee Eid… the sweet Eid.
When I was about 16, I befriended a Muslim friend… who went on to become one of my best friends… his association made me a bit more involved in the process of Ramadan and Eid…
However it took Egypt… to engulf me with the spirit of Ramadan.
There is something magical about Ramadans in Egypt… if you meet somebody… he greets you with a Ramadan Kareem… and then you reply… Allahu-Akram. (Literally translated… Ramadan is benevolent and you reply that God is the most benevolent).
Everybody fasts and feasts during Ramadan… everybody. From the rich to the poor … from the elderly to the young … and that I think displays the egalitarian message of Islam.
During the second year of my stay in Egypt, I tried fasting… in fact I did it for four days (no big achievement, people tend to fast for 30 to 31 days at a stretch)… it was difficult… waking up in the morning and having something… my wife was not around, so I didn’t have anybody to cook for me… and I being a lethargic cook could only make some cheese sandwich for myself…
Anyway… let's get down to the unique features of an Egyptian Ramadan… and as a disclaimer, let me confess that I haven’t seen any other Muslim country so as to say that Egyptian Ramadan is unique… I haven’t even lived in Indian Muslim localities so as to compare Egypt to India.
The day I woke up in the morning to take the pre-dawn breakfast… I heard a drum beat… the sound grew larger and larger… and then fainter and fainter… somebody was passing by my street beating the drum…. It is a unique feature of Egyptian Ramadan… a drummer, who alarms people, wakes them up to have their pre-dawn meal…
For most of the people… a pre-dawn meal is a lavish affair… but for many others it’s a modest affair… they tend to quote from the life of the Prophet, who lived a modest life… and from a purely medical point of view, I am told, the latter are correct.
People generally go to sleep after having their pre-dawn meal…
They wake up again at around 9 and then there is a mad scramble to reach their places of work… a very very mad scramble… tempers runs high… I have seen occasional fights and altercations during the first few days of the Ramadan… they tend to become fewer and fewer, with the passage of time…
Somebody told me… that Ramadan is a test… God wants to test the patience and devotion of the people… and he gives them the strength to go through the ordeal of this one month.
During the Ramadan days… the restaurant are empty… though Egyptians don’t mind people eating in front of them… but it is often advisable and considerate that one should refrain from eating in front of a fasting Muslim. I refrained.
It is said that the essence of Ramadan is to feel the pain of hunger… and to avoid gluttony… according to a teaching… the food for 2 people is enough for 3 and the food for 3 is enough for 4… it is a noble thought, indeed. Probably this is the reason… every religion has prescribed one form of fasting or the other. Fasting cleanses your system… gives you empathy towards the poor… and also builds your patience levels.
And then towards the evening… there is another mad scramble to reach homes… to have a breakfast together… among the near and dear ones… this time of the day is often considered very important. People don’t want to miss being close to their family members during this time.
And even if one is stuck… you would find people offering others dates, food plates. It’s a bonanza time for the poor… all the big hotels of the city offer free buffet at this time of the day… I am witness to one of them… the Marriot in Zamalek… whose buffest is considered out of this world… and often even not so poor line up to have a taste of it.
Around this time… all the streets are full with tables and chairs… and people are offered food… best they can have, ever. In a way… it is a time… when poor actually get good food.
And then there are beautiful decorations.... tents… one glimpse of them and you would think that you have entered a festivity zone.
On the lighter side… I realized that the number of marriages suddenly jump manifolds just after the Ramadan… I asked if there was any religious significance of this… (In Hinduism, certain days are considered auspicious for marriage)… my friend laughed. He reminded me that during Ramadan days… one not only refrains from food… but also sex.
Ramadan in Egypt was a unique experience… it made me feel a part of the tradition despite being a non-Muslim.
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