Is it a bird, a plane, no it's...

There is a certain sense of anticipation in there air.  Can you feel it...wait for it...?  There!  What, you don't feel it?  Well, let me just tell you then.  In just a couple of weeks Ramadan begins!  Deck the halls and la, la, la, and camels and yummy food and I have a feeling this is why my daughter has been listening to Christmas music, because the feeling is similar, yet the holidays are very different.  You may or may not know very much about Ramadan now, however, if you continue to follow me you will be hearing a lot about it.

Here's Ramadan in a nutshell:

Ramadan is a month of fasting from dawn to dusk.  It is a time to focus on getting your life right before Allah/God.  Many focus on the 5 pillars of Islam which are, the profession of faith, prayers, fasting, giving of alms, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.  Ramadan occurs 10 days earlier each year because it is based on the lunar calendar.  It is also the month of the Islamic year when Muslims believe the first books of the Quran were revealed.  


This year is going to be a bit different than the Ramadans I have experienced in the past, and this is because it just so happens to be during the HOTTEST month of the year.  Fasting and heat do not always produce the best results.  


There are many parts in the world where you could get arrested for eating in public or private.  Cairo isn't one of these places.  Also, children, pregnant or nursing mothers, or those who are not physically able to are excused from fasting.  


Great things happen during Ramadan.  People are focused on helping each other and getting their lives right before God.  Families invite strangers in for meals or eat all together in masses under colorful tents.  Special traditional dishes are made with love and once the sun starts to set, it is feasting until sunrise.  


The stores are already stocking up and offering great deals.  Some seasonal food items are sheets of pureed apricot and carob for making drinks, dried fruits, and nuts in or out of a nutshell.  There you have it!  


If you are, or have friends that are Muslim, make sure to wish them, "Ramadan Kareem", or you could just say,  "Happy Holiday", or if you wanted to be really Misreen, say "Kola senna winta taib!"