Ramadan Kareem!

I can't believe I've already been here for almost a week. Time flies when you have four and a half hours of Arabic every day!

Just like every time I travel, I questioned my life decisions of coming here during the first few days and really missed home. Now that I am getting over my cold and have pushed through jetlag, I am a lot happier!

It has been an experience being in a Muslim country during Ramadan and I have learned so much. Everyone else is probably a lot more educated than I am - I tend to learn about things when I come in contact with them and don't have the general knowledge most people have. This is probably a weakness of mine but I wanted to share things I have learned in class and from others about what happens during Ramadan:

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting for those who are Muslim. From sunrise to sunset, they are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, or engage in sexual relations. This is a cleansing month and in the Quran it is stated to help Muslims become healthier as well as become closer to God. This time is set apart to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.

All Muslims should fast except those who are traveling, sick, or pregnant among a few others. Also, children are not required to fast.

Muslims have suhur (the pre-fast meal) before dawn which, in Morocco, happens before 3:30am. Either they will stay awake until this time or wake up so they can eat and drink.

Luckily, the weather in Ifrane is mild and breezy as we are in the mountains but the cities can get quite hot. When I arrived, a woman at the Casablanca airport asked me where I was heading and when I told her I was taking the train to Fes, she says, "ah, but we don't go to Fes at this time of year - it's too hot!" Imagine not being able to drink water during this extremely hot weather! Many Moroccans will take naps during the day and keep themselves busy so they don't think about food. One Moroccan told me that the campus is a lot quieter than usual summer sessions because people don't want to have to take classes during Ramadan.

The marche and shops are bustling with people in mid-afternoon who are all buying food for their feast later. My Arabic professor brought up an interesting point. He asked us if we think people spend more or less money during this month. We weren't really sure but he mentioned the saying that says "never go to the grocery store hungry." This is what Muslims have to do so they end up spending more, perhaps even double. The marketplace is even busier in the last 10 days of Ramadan as Muslims are buying new clothes for the end celebration.

At about 5 or 6pm the downtown is empty and shops are closed as shopkeepers are also preparing food. Around 7:30pm the call to prayer sounds and people make their way to the mosque to pray. A cannon sounds and this is the signal that people can eat again.

The breaking of the fast meal is called iftar and starts with consuming dates which is how Muhammed ended his fast. The traditional places I have eaten also serve hard boiled eggs, with cumin and salt, and chebakia which is a Moroccan sweet made of deep-fried dough covered in honey syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Ramadan lasts 29 - 30 days depending on when the crescent moon is sighted, both at the beginning and the end. Apparently, Morocco likes to be different so they generally start Ramadan one day after most other countries start. :) Here, Ramadan started on the 7th of June and will end on the 5th or 6th of July.

Each country has a different time for when they eat suhur and iftar because it is all about when the sun rises and sets. Some countries will have over 20 hours of sunlight and in most cases, they will agree upon a set amount of time when they will fast because over 20 hours isn't too feasible.

Devout Muslims will also spend time reading the Quran and praying during this time as well as giving to charity. I attended a dialogical Bible study last night where we looked at texts from the Old and New Testament as well as the Quran. It was very interesting to compare and contrast the different traditions regarding fasting.

I didn't expect to write this much but maybe now you know more about Ramadan than you ever thought you would. :) Hopefully, including Moroccan specifics was interesting too!

The food places on campus are open during the day, mainly for the international students who are not observing Ramadan. It is still important to be respectful and not blatantly eat and drink in public. I will be traveling to Fes tomorrow which will be another fun adventure!

Fun fact: Each year, Ramadan is 11 days earlier than the year before so it isn't always on the same dates. This is due to its lunar nature.