August 8th marked the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan for Muslims across the world. This end of Ramadan is celebrated with a four-day Eid holiday. There are two Eid holidays in the Muslim religion, and this time of year is known as Eid al-Fitr or translated as Festival of Breaking Fast. This name is appropriate because during the month of Ramadan Muslims will fast with no food or drink from sunrise until sundown. Once the sun goes down, the first meal of the day is known as Iftar. This meal is generally shared with close friends and family. There is also a late night meal called Suhoor which is a meal meant to take place before sunrise to prepare for the day.
Ramadan began this year shortly after I left for SE Asia. I
had plans of participating in Ramadan by fasting with many of my Muslim
friends, but this would have been extremely difficult while traveling. So I
decided instead to fast for the last two weeks of Ramadan when I returned from
travel. The fasting itself was easier than I thought it would be. In the end it
was more mental than anything else and after a few days your body adjusts quite
well. Are you thirsty? Absolutely. Especially when you are craving water in a
desert. Are you fatigued? Sure and you don’t have the same level of energy. Do
you eat a TON at night? Not really because your stomach shrinks and after a few
bites you are full. Overall fasting was a great experience and something I look
forward to doing each year.
The best part of Ramadan for me was becoming closer with my
Qatari friends. Ramadan is a time that really brings people together. Every
nightly meal is shared with friends and family, there are many visits to
people’s homes, and people socialize late into the night. Before Ramadan I had
yet to visit the home of any of my Qatari friends. This is a true honor to be
invited and my friend Sulayim was kind enough to host myself, Brennan, and two
German CouchSurfers (yes…quite the crew!) for a traditional Qatari Iftar. We
learned about the traditional foods, how people are served in the Majilis
(hosting area of the home), and about family stories and histories. It was by
far my best experience since moving to Doha and I was so thankful to have that
opportunity. As Ramadan came to an end I was once again welcomed to Sulayim’s
Majilis to celebrate Eid. On that same day I also visited with Mohammed Al
Kuwari, another good friend. These experiences sharing holidays with Qatari
friends has made me feel so much more welcomed and connected to my new home
here. I hope to have more experiences like these in the future and can’t wait
for another Majilis visit!
In addition to the local experiences, there is of course the
lavish side of Doha. During Ramadan this is through Suhoor dinners at 5 star
hotels that are nicer than any wedding I will probably ever go to. The way it
works is that each night the hotels in Doha will host a late night Suhoor
dinner. Usually starting at 9pm and running until 2am. It is a full buffet with
foods from all over the world. I attended Suhoor at the Sharq Hotel, W Hotel,
and St. Regis. Each had their own special flair with decorations, live music,
and HUGE variety of food. These meals made you feel like a local celebrity and
had you stuffed for the entire next day!!!
Overall I had an incredible first experience with Ramadan. I
really admire how this time of year brings people together from both inside and
outside of the Muslim community. I especially appreciated being able to connect
with my Qatari friends in a more meaningful way. One of my other big takeaways
from the experience is also the respect and admiration I have for Muslims in
non-Muslim countries. Living here in the
Gulf there a lot of accommodations made during Ramadan to make the month more
bearable. There are Ramadan working hours (usually people work 4-5 hours per
day), restaurants are closed during the day to resist temptation, sunset is
earlier (around 6:30pm), and it is generally understood that work production is
slowed during this time for spiritual reflection. Compare this with Muslims in
the US or Europe for example. Work expectations are the same, food and other
sins are around you at all times, the sun might not set until 9:00pm, and no
excuses can be made for when you feel “tired”. This does not diminish the
sacrifices made by Muslims in the Gulf region by any means, but I believe that
having the ability to change your daily schedule to accommodate for afternoon
naps, family and friend support of fasting, combined with shorter days makes
for a different Ramadan experience.
It has really been a special time of year in Doha and we are
on the brink of welcoming our newest incoming class of students. Orientation
will start next week and another academic year will be kicked off. We have a
BIG year planned in the Student Center and I am also looking forward to some
friends and family visiting Doha this year. The next big change is Brennan
moving to Dubai next week and we have a new roommate, Dazelle, moving in with us.
Will keep everyone updated as the semester begins again!!! Talk to you all
soon.
