A Time to be Thankful

This morning I woke up very early for some reason – early enough to hear the morning prayer call somewhere around 5am, so I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to share a little bit more about my experiences thus far. My Mom recently asked me in an email if I have been hearing the five prayer calls each day, and the answer is ‘Yes.’ At first I noticed each call, which can be heard via loudspeakers throughout the city, but lately they have begun to fade into the background as a regular part of each day. My exposure to new traditions and opportunities for learning have not slowed down though. I have been fortunate to have arrived in perfect time to observe the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which began on October 4. The 4th was also the day that clocks in Egypt moved back one hour, and the first day I walked to work instead of waiting for the car to pick me up. It wasn’t until late morning when we finally realized why I had been so early to work that day! But that’s a different story. . . that we all laughed about later.

This is a very busy time for most Egyptians. As summer holidays have ended and schools recently reopened for the year, you can imagine the excitement (and perhaps the stress) that has been caused by the beginning of Ramadan at this time of the year (The Muslim calendar coincides with the phases of the moon instead of the sun like the Gregorian/Western calendar does. Therefore, the timing of Ramadan changes approximately eleven days each year, and the exact date is not announced until the final hours before the first day of Ramadan begins). Having little previous knowledge of Ramadan I thought that people would approach the month with feelings of loathing or dread – fasting all day, every day for a month? No thank you. I thought I would be greeted by cranky staff and strangers on the street. So far, I have experience anything but this (We’ll see how the month progresses, of course). In reality, people appear cheerful and thankful. One of my coworkers shared with me that Ramadan is a wonderful time when she feels closer to God through discipline, prayer and fasting. Also, with approximately 90% of the Egyptian population being Muslim she knows that when the noise comes signaling the end of fasting for the day (a loud noise is made that can be heard throughout the city to signal sunset) she is joining so many others throughout the country as they eat three dates and then enjoy the night’s feast. (The three dates is a tradition that was started by Prophet Mohamed, who did the same to break his fast.)

Given that the rule is not to let anything pass one’s lips from sunrise to sunset, including food, drink, gum, cigarettes, etc., and given that I work during the day, having lunch can be a bit of a challenge. Generally I have been told people will not be upset if I eat or drink outside of the observed times as they realize I am not Muslim. Staff have even encouraged me to bring my lunch to eat in the office, but it would be a bit awkward, and hardly enjoyable for me or anyone else I imagine. So I have ducked into the bathroom to eat something small or taken the stairs to benefit from the exercise and a snack on my way up. Other days I just wait until I get home to eat as the working day is legally set to end at 3pm during Ramadan.

Although the days may be quieter, given that the restaurants and coffee shops are closed during the day for the month of Ramadan and the general pace of life slows down, the celebrations make up for it during the night. Children can be heard, as well as adults, having fun and enjoying what they have denied themselves during the day. Children receive gifts and sing Ramadan songs as they walk and play in the streets with their new toys. In the past, children lit candles and placed them in lanterns to guide their way through the streets while they sang special Ramadan songs. In the picture below you can see an example of a new toy that has replaced the old lights. This little critter (I think it may be a rooster actually), is a gift for the daughter of one our EACID employees, and is carrying on old tradition by carrying two lanterns in his claws/paws/hands?. He also lights up, walks back and forth – a little dance you could say, and plays Ramadan music for children to sing along to. He provided much entertainment in the office as you can see:)

The three day weekend has ended here (Thursday was National Day, Friday and Saturday make up the weekend in Egypt), while those of you in Canada are in the midst of your holidays. Those of you in other parts of the world please share what is happening there. As you prepare for your special celebrations this weekend, be it Ramadan, Thanksgiving or celebrating life in general, I hope you will enjoy and give thanks for all that we have. . .and eat an extra piece of dessert! Go ahead, indulge – you can say it’s for me!

***Pics coming soon. Dial-up at my flat is taking too long. I'll try an Internet cafe near the market tomorrow. Take care everyone!