I believe the best way to experience something new is to go in with an open mind and open heart. By having an open mind, you allow yourself to recognize, respect, and build better relationships with other individuals, cultures, and lifestyles that you may not be familiar with. For this reason, I decided to put myself in the shoes of those around me and participate in Ramadan as a Catholic.
With KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) being an Islamic country, it was no surprise when Lent rolled around and no one said a word. In all honesty, if it wasn’t for my calendar, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the holy days of Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, or even Easter were passing by. But because I now called the Middle East home, I did, however, know exactly when Ramadan started even though I had little knowledge of what it was.
Let’s use this as a teaching moment for those of you, who like me, may be uninformed when it comes to Holidays of other religions. Let’s become better together!
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan occurs during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe the prophet Muhammed was given the first revelations of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, from the angel Gabriel.
During this month, Muslims will pray, read the Quran, avoid any immoral behavior or impure thoughts, and fast during daylight hours- this includes all food and water from dawn to sunset. It’s a month of introspection, to be thankful for what one has, and to bring Muslims closer to Allah and their faith.
Ramadan ends with a festival called Eid al-Fitr or the Festival of Breaking the Fast. At this time, Muslims celebrate and give thanks for the strength Allah presented to them during fasting.
Why fast?
Fasting helps Muslims become closer to Allah, increase their willpower, feel compassion for one another, reflect on their shortcomings, and strengthen community relations.
What is a typical day like during Ramadan?
Those who are fasting eat a pre-dawn meal called Suhur, which happens before sunrise and the first prayer, and should be able to sustain you for the entire day. Then, they either begin the day or go back to bed until it’s time to start their day. Daytime routines are typically at a slower pace, and I’ve been told many will end the workday early to go home and sleep before Iftar, the post-sundown meal. For Iftar, soup, dates, water, or milk are often consumed first, followed by the dinner itself later in the evening. Dinner is usually served late in the evening and will typically last until early hours of the morning. At sunrise, the fasting day begins again.
Who is expected to fast?
Healthy adults are the only ones required to fast during Ramadan. Those not expected to fast are children, the elderly, those mentally or physically incapable of fasting, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and travelers.
Her Suitcase Tip: If you’re not participating in fasting, PLEASE be mindful of eating or drinking around those who are. In KSA it is seen as disrespectful.
My experience participating in Ramadan
My husband and I went off the ‘typical’ Ramadan schedule provided by a co-worker. We were told, “If my seven-year-old can do it, so can you!” So our day went something like this:
4:00 AM – Go back to bed.
7:00 AM – Wake up for work and begin the day.
7:00 AM – 6:05 PM – Kept ourselves busy trying not to think about food or water. We also decided to skip working out this day because, well, no food or water.
6:05 PM – Broke fast, drank water and Gatorade, and ate Pringles (quite the combination, I know!)
8:45 PM – Ate dinner. We decided against eating traditional Arabian food because honestly, we weren’t craving it so we decided on Italian.
10:00 PM – Devoured some dessert.
Midnight – Called it a night and headed to bed.
We only participated in Ramadan for one day, and let me tell you it was kind of hard. My husband and I agreed that refraining from food was easy. For us, not being able to drink water was the tough part. In the morning, I found myself brushing my teeth a little bit longer than normal, and then throughout the day, I’d swish water in my mouth just to resolve the dryness. Side note- I’m pretty sure that’s cheating, but, I didn’t actually swallow the water and, therefore, didn’t drink the water. Anywayssss, the point is that the day was difficult for someone like me who hasn’t experienced Ramadan fasting before and who prioritizes drinking water throughout the day. Tasks took a little bit longer to complete, my attention span was all over the place, and normal routines I prioritize, like working out, were put on the backburner. I know people get used to it- like a co-worker said, his seven-year-old does it- but dang, I really underestimated it.
As I said before, one of the reasons for fasting is for introspection- to reflect on oneself and what one has. As I found myself staring at the clock, mentally counting down the hours until I could finally get a taste of that sweet sweet H20, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of gratefulness. Grateful that I was in a situation where everyday necessities like food and water were easily accessible. Grateful for the health position I was in to be able to participate in a fast, even if it was just for a day. And grateful for the opportunity to get comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. This single-day experiment allowed me to learn about a new religion and experience a day in the life of my neighbors. By keeping an open mind, I was able to learn, explore, appreciate, and grow.
When’s the last time you tried walking in someone else’s shoes?
