Good morning, Ramadan
Today is the first day of Ramadan, where Muslims worldwide begin 30 days of fasting from dawn until dusk. You can learn more about it here — it’s an excellent site.
Ramadan (like all Muslim holidays) follows a lunar calendar, so the exact dates of the 30 days changes from year to year. For the next few years, it will be during the summer, which has the longest days of the year and some pretty hot temps.
As we watch our neighbors abstain from food, drink, and tobacco, letting their bodies go into withdrawl from caffeine and cigarettes, I wonder how they do it. It’s documented here that there are many more traffic accidents around 5 p.m. during Ramadan, when people are rushing to get home from work and break the fast. I can’t imagine what it will be like this time of year, when the sun sets around 8:30.
Traditionally, there’s a man in each neighborhood that will go around, banging a (very) loud drum just before sunrise, encouraging people to wake up and take one last bite. They’re officially illegal, and thankfully, our neighborhood has a tight reign on its prohibition. We have other expat friends in the city, however, who have their own personal drummer right outside their window, waking them from a deep slumber. At the end of the 30 days, he goes from door to door, asking for a tip. For the sleep deprivation.
Be thinking of 20% of the world for the next month.
posted: 09 August 20
under: culture
We’ll be thinking about you guys.
We live in Indonesia, so Ramadan is a big deal here as well. We have a helper who lives with us and it is interesting to see how weak and tired she seems during this time, as well as hear her get up at 4 am to eat. Last year we made the mistake of going to a restaurant close to when the fast time ended. The restaurant was full of people sitting at their tables with the food sitting in front of them (it had been there for awhile) waiting for the time to break fast. We are definitely praying for them during this time.
We will be thinking and praying for the Muslims in this world during this time. Even if we are not of the same faith, we have to have respect for the rights of others to worship as they wish – even if they seem “funny” to some expats. As you enjoy this country, as a guest, I hope you’ll continue to learn more about their culture, traditions, and faith.
If it weren’t for our differences, this would be a very boring world. In my humble opinion.
I am glad there are no “little drummer boys” in Indonesia… at least where we are. I totally agree with @Shanie Rhodes though. We try to encourage our helper to take a rest during the day because we know that she is weaker. Just last night I asked her if she loses weight during Puasa Ramadan (fasting) and she said yes. She very impressively has a great attitude during this time; though we are also careful to not push her too hard.