RAMADAN begins again on Sept. 13. It is said that one of the last ten nights of Ramadan (one of the months on the Islamic calendar) is when the Koran was to have been sent down to the Prophet. There is to be complete abstinence from food, drink, and sexual activity from daybreak to sunset by every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty. (There are a few exceptions and those excepted can make up days later). The Islamic calendar is moon rather than sun based, so each year Ramadan is about 10 days earlier than the previous year. Therefore, this year’s Ramadan will be more difficult than last year’s as there is more daylight. Although it is getting/still light before these times, actual sunrise and sunsets are about 7 a.m./7p.m., at least here, but we are in the mountains a bit. The iman at the mosque will do the call to prayer when it is allowable to eat. The fasting means NO drinking of anything, not even water. So you can imagine how extremely difficult it is when Ramadan is in the summer!

A few volunteers choose to fast; I do not, but it would be terrible culturally insensitive to eat or drink in front of others who are fasting. That being said, my community-based training host family last year not only accepted my difference of religion, but offered me tea when I returned from “school,” which was before sunset. This town is much more conservative and I don’t think would be very tolerant of my eating/drinking in front of them.

The tradition calls for hrira, which is a type of soup, to be served at the breaking of fast after sunset. First, a date is eaten, then prayers are said, then a very sweet pastry/ies served, then hrira, bread, olives. The large meal, (usually eaten around 1-2 during the day), is eaten late at night, anytime from 10-12, depending on the family. Then they go to bed, get up for a small meal before the sun rises, and go back to sleep again for awhile.

My family last year was so understanding and accepted my decision to go to my bedroom prior to their large meal. I ate quite enough hrira to sustain me, had breakfast in my room while they were still sleeping, and took a lunch to our school. It will be more comfortable this year since I have my own place and can pretty much eat/drink normally, except I’ll just not drink as much water during the day at work. The neddy is to open Sept. 17th, but with shorter hours until after Ramadan.

One thing that is evident, is that just like at home, there are varying degrees of politics and religion here…conservative, moderate, liberal, and extremists/radicals on either end of the spectrum. It is often difficult to separate culture from religion, and even the people themselves sometimes do not know the difference if they have not been schooled in the Koran. If you’d like a bit more perspective on the “other side” of politics/religion in Morocco, I discovered a very interesting article in the Oct. 16, 2006 edition of “The New Yorker,” called a Letter from Morocco, “The Crusader” by Jane Kramer.