Ramadan Kareem!

It is officially Ramadan in Dubai.... and so I thought I would not only write a post to say ''Ramadan Kareem'' to all my Muslim friends.. but to also educate my British friends on what this means for those of us in Dubai..

Ramadan:

• The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramda, which means scorching heat or dryness.
• Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar
• The month lasts 29-30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon
• Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting
• Fasting is obligatory for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, travelling, pregnant, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding
• While fasting from dawn to sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations : some even refrain from swearing
• Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of prayers and recitation of the Quran

This is the basics of what Ramadan entails.... and I must say after experiencing 5 Ramadan's now...I have nothing but the upmost respect for Muslims.

Today for example is the first day of Ramadan and temperatures have been over 45 degrees all day..... at the moment there is a heat wave in the UK and most of my friends are already moaning about how hot they are in 26 degrees.... well imagine another 20 degrees and just think about how ridiculously boiling it is then....Now imagine not having anything to eat or drink.... not even a glass of water... not even a piece of chewing gum.... ALL day long... until sunset at about 7pm ish!

Could you do it? Not sure I could.... However....I am currently experiencing my first full day of no cigarettes in rather a long time! No - I am not Muslim, nor am I fasting. However, if you live in the UAE, then they do expect you to respect their rules and culture, which I think is more than fair. In fact, I actually think that it is a great shame that England doesn't hold the same rule for our country.... as in... if you want to live in our country then respect our culture...  and if you don't like it.. then go!

Anyway... because I am not Muslim, I do not need to fast but they do ask that we do not eat, drink, smoke etc in front of them and so no smoking it is for me until after sunset.... and eating is done behind closed doors (I know my British friends won't believe this LOL but it is true!) ...

But don't worry... I have also come to realize that there is also some rather good perks to Ramadan for us Brits.... see below :: (Muslims should finish reading this blog now) ::

• Its the one month of the year we actually save money! - although drinking is back on after sunset... most clubs and establishments with loud music are not... (something to do with no dancing etc during this respectful month) ...and so hence no expats take to the clubs... resulting in lots of money being saved from dwindling away on drinking.

• House parties ! For the same reasons as above... us expats end up throwing ''gatherings'' at our own places...where we can play whatever music we like.... and still party away. Being spoilt for choice by clubs in Dubai... we often overlook house parties... so Ramadan is my time to bring it back down to basics... love a good house party (just preferably not at mine... the cleaning after when hung-over is just too much! haha)

• Time to get healthy! Think about it.... we cant eat, drink or smoke outside in front of other people and vice versa.. until sunset. So we have a WHOLE day of basically not seeing other people scoffing their faces with sweet treats or dragging on a ciggie during their lunch breaks. If you ask me - this is the perfect time for dieting or trying to quit smoking. There is nothing worse than when your trying to quit something and all you see is everyone around you still doing it. Put it to the back of your mind and forget about it... which is exactly what I have done today with cigarettes... not thought about it!

• Shorter work days! Yes its true... with the rising temperatures and the majority of Dubai not eating or drinking all day... its only fair to let people get home as soon as possible. Staying later and driving on the roads causes many problems,  as people are dizzy and even at times fall as sleep from lack of energy.... resulting in a LOT of accidents.  With this in mind, most offices let people go home earlier at about 2/3PM each day depending on their policy. My office actually doesn't have any Muslims working for us (as of yet) and so none of us are fasting, however we are still able to finish work 2 hours earlier at 4pm.... just because its Ramadan !

• Iftar -  the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Therefore...every evening during the month of Ramadan we are spoilt for choice by restaurants offering Iftar.... this is a lovely experience. People are happy and celebrating and relaxed.... I find that Iftar always creates a sense of ''togetherness'' and with so many options available - the food is always good.

So there you have it... Ramadan explained - British style!

Ramadan Kareem to all my Muslim friends !

x o x o