Ramadan

A community portal about Ramadan with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: The fourth pillar of Islam which is fasting is also called Ramadan – or Ramzan in several countries – and it is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, established in the year 638. It is considered the most venerated, blessed and spiritually-beneficial month of the Islamic year. Prayers, fasting, charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month. God prescribes daily fasting for all able, adult Muslims during the whole month of Ramadan, beginning with the sighting of the new moon.

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The New Moon : Eid al-Fitr – the feast after the fast

Written by tagecho on

From: usposttoday.com

Eid-noodles

The end of the Ramadan fast is traditionally marked with enthusiastic family feasting. What did you eat?

Eid al-Fitr – the festival that marks the end of Ramadan – traditionally begins with the sighting of the new moon, but for me it’s more often a sighting of a text message.

I was bracing myself for a last day of fasting and considering what I should eat for my final early-morning breakfast. Should I go for a sensible-but-boring porridge that I had stuck to all month? Follow my stomach and wolf down the portion of fesanjoon, chicken in a thick walnut and pomegranate sauce, that I had brought home from my favourite Iranian restaurant? Then my phone beeped.

It was a text from a friend wishing me Eid Mubarak (a blessed Eid), but I was cautious. Eid is notoriously hard to pin down as scholars seem to delight in disagreeing over when to celebrate.

These splits can divide along sectarian lines – with Shias and Sunnis celebrating on separate days – or depend on nationality and leave Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and citizens of Arab countries observing the feast separately. In some years there have even been regional variations and my parents in Manchester have observed a different day to my aunts and uncles in London.

To my surprise a moment later I got a text from my mum – she’d called it and that was good enough for me; Eid had finally begun.

At the packed Eid prayers I narrowly missed out on the breakfast boxes being handed out, stuffed with puris (puffs of unleavened bread) and halva – a sweet made from semolina. But back at home it was time to make up for my month of self control with sticky-sweet jelabis (bright orange concoctions of fried flour oozing syrup) and creamy barfi made from condensed milk and nuts. These to be scoffed before the main event of lunch – delicious lamb biryani, followed by sewaiyan (semolina fried in ghee and cooked in sugar and milk) with dates and nuts.

Eid meals are as different as Eid timings. My best friend, a Bangladeshi, was planning on supplementing her biryani with roast chicken and salad. While a quick call to an Eritraen friend found he had being stuffing himself with ghat, a porridge topped with chilli and pepper before his sisters, brothers and extended family poured in to enjoy himito – fried lamb liver and other offal – and his favourite dish tibsi, made with cubes of lamb and onion. To come was alichi, a vegetarian dish, then fruit and finally, when no one could eat any more there would coffee roasted at home – they start with green beans on a stove in the lounge.

Last night as I drove to Rusholme to stock up on Indian sweets, it seemed more families than ever were enjoying Eid in restaurants with their friends, shishas in the Arab cafes and sweets and ice cream on the pavements. Their teenage sons continued their own tradition of revving open top BMWs up and down Wilmslow Road, Pakistani flags held above their heads, beeping their horns and sounding klaxons.

But it’s not over yet. This year I am planning to exploit the Eid confusion, timing my traditional Eid visits to family and friends to maximise my chance of getting extra treats.

Today I’m on my way to see the one aunt who has held out (though her husband cracked and started celebrating yesterday) for Eid. And I heard rumours that Ugandan Muslims will be celebrating tomorrow – it might be time to make some new friends. When did you celebrate Eid, and what did you eat?

guardian.co.uk

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Tags: Arab Countries, Aunts And Uncles, Barfi, chicken, Concoctions, Condensed Milk, Different Day, Eid Al Fitr, Eid Mubarak, Eid Prayers, End Of Ramadan, fesanjoon, final early-morning breakfast, Ghee, Halva, Iranian Restaurant, Morning Breakfast, Muslims, New Moon, Pakistani flags, Puris, Ramadan fast, Regional Variations, Semolina, Shias And Sunnis, Sighting Of The New Moon, Ugandan, Ugandan Muslims, Unleavened Bread, Wilmslow Road

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