Fascinating traditions to welcome Ramadan from all over the world
The main religious traditions of Ramadan and the additional habits from different countries around the world!
One week ago was the first day of Ramadan, the first day of the holy month, where Ajer doubles and devils are locked up for the whole month. It is usually a special time of the year for all Muslims, and for my family in particular. We start to prepare for Ramadan a week before it starts. With all the love and happiness. Let me first talk about Ramadan.
Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims, It is the month that God revealed the holy Quran to the prophet Mohammed for the first time. Also, it is considered the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon, taking a place for approximately 30 days in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
Fasting means you are not allowed to eat or drink anything during the day, from Fajr to Maghrib, although two main meals are served per day, one before Fajr called Suhoor, and it should be healthy to provide you with the needed energy during the day. And the second one is after sunset called ‘Iftar’, we usually break our fast with water, milk, and dates. It is recommended to eat an odd number of dates, a custom of the prophet Mohammed.
The best thing about Ramadan is the gathering of the family, mothers put all love in the dishes they cook for Iftar, kids play and share happiness, family members gather and watch Ramadan programs together. In addition, eating sweets and desserts that served especially in Ramadan, for example, Kunafa and Kkatayef. It is always about the lovely vibes of the holy month and sharing the beautiful moments with family while having coffee and eating these delicious night desserts.
Further, Ramadan is not only about fasting it is a holy month, where people try to get closer to Allah and dedicate more time for reading Quran and pray.
They pray and read Quran intensely in Ramadan, one of the holy prayers in Ramadan is called “Tarawih”, it is an additional prayer performed after Isha prayer, people usually go to mosques gathering together with neighbors and other people to pray and share Ajer. It is usually from 8 to 12 raka’ and it may involve reading Juz’ or 1/30 pages of Quran.
Also, one of the Islamic festivals is “Laylat al-Qadir”. It is believed to have taken place in the last ten days of Ramadan. it is the night that God first revealed the Quran to the prophet Mohammed through the angel Gabriel, Muslims usually intense the praying and reading Quran that night to get more Ajer.
In my country, we have special traditions to welcome Ramadan, and my family specifically has these tiny and lovely traditions. A few days ago I was reading about the traditions of Ramadan around the world, and what I found was some fascinating habits from different places around the globe. which is the main reason why I decided to write this article!
Years ago people used Cannons fire to announce iftar in many countries across the Middle East, it is called “Midfa el-Iftar”, this tradition has been a culture more than a religious ritual. It started 200 years ago in Egypt when the country was governed by the Ottoman ruler Khosh Qadam while testing new Cannon fire at sunset, and people thought it is a new way to reveal the end of the fasting. In Lebanon people still have this tradition of firing the Cannon on the Iftar time “Midfa el-Iftar” announcing the end of the fasting day.
In Egypt, people welcome Ramadan with colorful “Fanoos” that symbolizes unity and joy throughout the holy month, they decorate streets and houses with lamps and “Fawnees”, the plural of Fanoos, so you can feel the holy vibes of Ramadan all long the month. In fact, I am always impressed by the beautiful atmosphere that Egyptians do during Ramadan, something makes you feel like you want to spend the whole month in Egypt.
In addition, people in Indonesia have a wonderful tradition called Padusan. Padusan means ‘to bath’ in Javanese dialect, people in Java clean themselves in the day before Ramadan to purify themselves for the holly month by soaking their bodies in springs from head to toe. Well, what I read was that this tradition is kind of old and people now do Padusan at their homes in swimming pools.
However, several countries depend on drummers who roam in streets between houses to announce Suhoor’s time, for instance, those drummers in Morocco called Nafar, they walk down streets blowing horns to wake people up for suhoor. In Turkey, drummers wear traditional Ottoman clothes. Also drummers in India called Seheriwalas, they go around streets, chant out the name of Allah, and the prophet Mohammed in order to wake people up.
In Maldives, special local dishes prepared specifically for Iftar, such as ‘kulhi boakibaa’ (fish cake), ‘foniboakiba’ (a flour cake), and ‘gulha’ (fish balls). After that comes the reciting of the Raivaru, it is Ramadan related poetry, recited by poets, a Maldivian ancient tradition.
In the United Arab Emirates, people have a special celebration called Haq Laila, in which, kids go around neighbors collecting sweets and nuts in tote bags called Kharyta.
And finally, my family has these wonderful, tiny traditions to welcome the month with all the lovely preparations. We go together shopping to get what we need for Ramadan, buy new plates and cups, get stuff related to Ramadan with all happiness, and decorate our house with lamps and Ramadan accessories. We gather together on Suhoor, pray Fajer together, prepare different kinds of food for Iftar, and have various dessert dishes every day by setting around the TV and exchange conversations and laughs. We also visit relatives. and reconnect relationships with family.
This Ramadan is very special to me, for some reason I feel the inner peace, it is kind of the vibes of the month has reflected purely on my soul, making me feel satisfied and happy.
And last but not least, there still only one celebration last which take a place at the end of Ramadan, it is called Eid Al Fitr.
Eid Al Fitr is a three days celebration, usually comes after 29 or 30 days of fasting Ramadan, this eid is about celebrating the end of Ramadan where people visit each other chanting out “eid Mubarak”, kids buy new clothes and toys, and mothers prepare different kinds of sweets to exchange with neighbors and relatives to reveal the happiness and love.
