Current listening: Cake, “Prolonging the Magic” and a thunderstorm.
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I’m not sure how this happened, but Ramadan - the ninth month of the hijri calendar – snuck up on me this year. Last year there was ample talk of the holiday in my community, including guesses of which day it was due to begin, and mouth-watering descriptions of fast-breaking foods like dates, chebekia, harira, and baghrir.
This year however, there’s only been whispers of the holiday, accompanied with sighs of, “God will help us.” Because it’s so hot here at this time of year, and because we haven’t seen an August Ramadan in thirty-three years, people are understandably nervous about the holiday.
Should you be too lazy to click the Ramadan link above, the fasting aspect of this holy month includes refraining from all food and drink, sexual activity, smoking, gossiping and harbouring bad thoughts toward others from sun-up until sun-down. It’s meant to be a cleansing month in which Muslims remember their less-fortunate brothers and sisters out there, along with offering up extra prayers of gratitude for what’s possessed, forgiveness for what’s been done and requests for guidance in what’s still to come.
…oh, and pleas for divine intervention when thirst rears its ugly head. Those are going to be darory - very, very necessary – this year.
