Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
People around the world are passionate about their struggles.
the ramped-up economic metabolism that comes with globalization—all
those modern changes I found so striking—people whose time-honored
ways are threatened cling to what makes their cultures and societies unique.
h ey seek solace in their rituals, religion, and traditions.
My most recent trip happened to coincide with the holy month of Rama-
dan, when practicing Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, or even smoking
during daylight hours. During this time, the Muslim faith seems all the more
vivid and engaging. As an oblivious tourist, I kept stumbling into the subtle
ways Ramadan af ects everyday life. Sucking sweet apple tobacco from a water
pipe, I of ered my waiter a puf of my hookah. He put his hand over his heart
and explained he'd love to, but he couldn't until the sun went down. During
Ramadan, if you sleep lightly, you'll wake to the call to prayer and the sounds
of a convivial meal just before dawn. As the sun rises, the fast begins. h en, as
the sun sets, the food comes out, and the nightly festival begins. Muhammad
broke his fast with a dried date or an olive—which remain the most common
fast-breakers. Saying,
“Allah kabul etsin”
(“May God accept our fast today”),
the staf at a restaurant where I was having only a glass of tea welcomed me
to photograph them, and then of ered to share their meal.
Anywhere in Islam, witnessing the breaking of the day-long Ramadan fast
at sundown is like watching children waiting for the recess bell. h
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