For any Muslims out there, Ramadan Kareem!

[Kate in Arabia]

I'm still visiting my inlaws in Saudi, the traffic is so crazy here as it's getting close to sunset; maybe I'm just used to being in a smaller city.

 

Hopefully tomorrow dh and I will be going to Makkah for iftar. I know it will be insanely crowded, but time-wise this is turning out to be my best chance (we're leaving in abt 10 days). I've always seen iftar in Makkah on tv, lol, so I've been wanting to go for myself. (Is that even an appropriate reason, lol?) A couple of years ago we reached Makkah on the last night of Ramadan, and it was so incredibly crowded -- I'm expecting it to be similar tomorrow.

 

I don't even know if other countries have declared the start of Ramadan -- they just called it for here earlier tonight. But Ramadan Kareem anyway! :)

[Teachin'Mine]

Not a Muslim, but wishing you a very blessed holy month. :)

[Rosie_0801]

Likewise :)

 

 

Not sure if Ramadan starts today (Wednesday) or tomorrow. I was listening to a girl on the train on Monday trying to figure it out, talking to at least three different friends on her cell phone, hehe.

 

Rosie

[Giraffe]

I believe the Turks consider tonight to be the start, so Ramadan Kareem to everyone as well! I feel for everyone fasting in the hot August heat.

 

Not Muslim, but all my in-laws are.

[Amy in TX]

Ramadan blessings to you too, Kate, and to all the other Muslim posters! :)

[Kate in Arabia]

Thanks for the replies!

 

Dh, fil and my three kids and I went to Makkah last night to have the first iftar of Ramadan, it was pretty crowded but not as bad as I've seen it at the end of Ramadan. It was neat that as it got close to the time to break the fast they stretched out all this long plastic for people to eat on, then started setting out dates and plastic cups for water (they already have coolers of water spread out all over the masjid). Plus there were people walking around with carafes of Arab coffee handing it out, and people walking around with little bags of dates passing them out. They all had special vests on so you would know who the hospitality folks were.

 

After breaking the fast and performing the sunset prayers (Maghrib) we finished our Umrah then went for the guys to get their hair cut and get ready for the night prayer (Isha) plus the extra Ramadan night prayers (Taraweeh). Getting back inside the masjid was tricky, it was *packed*. All the normal prayer ettiquettes were out the window. We had to climb over people who were praying, walk right in front of people who were praying or stand in front of them waiting for the crowd to move; there was a lot of gentle pushing and brushing against people.

 

And in the end ds #2 and I squeezed in between this tiny, ancient Indonesian lady and a man on the other side. I tried to apologize to her for squishing her, I don't know if she understood. So I was praying next to a man, another man was directly in front of me and another behind me, everyone just packed in. Not for the claustrophobic! We tried to keep together, but in the end our entire party was split up, and had to try and find each other afterwards using cell phones.

 

So after we were done we left and went across the street to get the kids KFC :glare: then made our way back to the car to head to the in-laws home in Jiddah.

 

Looking forward to a more restful remainder of Ramadan! :)

[nd293]

Ramadan Kareem to all the Muslim WTMers!

 

This is our second Ramadan outside the Middle East, and I am feeling a little homesick for the special "mood" of the month. Not missing the crazy Ramadan traffic though! Wishing you all a peaceful and blessed month.

 

Nikki

[AHASRADA]

Ramadan Mubarak to all of you as well!

 

Celebrating my 18th Ramadan, but I've only spent 2 overseas. I must admit I enjoy the charm of having a quiet Ramadan of reflexion and relative calm, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of being in a Muslim country. Of course, I enjoyed hearing the adhan, and especially the siren to alert us to break the fast (as opposed to the unceremonious checking of the time chart as we do here). It was nice to have extended family to help in the cooking, but the more people there are, the more cooking there is to do anyway! I love the fact that the entire country's schedule changes, restaurants and cafes are closed during the day, and lunch hours are skipped in favor of a shorter workday, making the month much easier for those working. Still, I'm not a city girl, nor do I come from a large family, and when I'm hungry and tired, I enjoy being in my own home, eating my own cooking, with my dh and dc ;).

 

We are fortunate to have a wonderful mosque and extended family close by, and we have created our own Ramadan and Eid traditions. We decorate and string up lights inside the house and turn them on every evening. For Eid, my BILs and SILs and their kids all stay at our place, and we dress everyone up and walk to the mosque for Eid prayer, then come home for the kids to open gifts and munch on finger foods all day. Sometimes we take the kids to an indoor play space with other Muslim families, but the day always ends with a trip to an all-you-can-eat buffet (no more cooking for mom, yeah!)

 

Wishing you all the blessings of this holy month, whatever your circumstances and wherever you find yourself in the world!