Last night, at around 8.30pm, a cannon shot, probably fired from the kasbah of Taourirt, rang out. The imam has seen the first thread of the crescent of the new moon, and Holy Month of Ramadan, the month of fasting, has just begun, for 28 or 29 days. It all depends on when we see the next new moon… Because if it is impossible, for whatever reason, to see the next new moon, the month of Ramadan cannot exceed 30 days.
Every morning, an hour before the start of the day, the cannon will sound again, to warn the faithful, for some of them this is the last meal before the youth, which will last until sunset. Until the imam can no longer distinguish with the naked eye a very fine black thread from another, white thread.
When the call to evening prayer finally rings out, the fast is over and it’s time for the long-awaited breakfast of whey and dates, eggs, msamem (flaky Moroccan pancakes eaten hot, with butter, honey or jam), lots of little cakes, bread cooked in meat fat, soup (harira), tea, coffee. .. Later, around midnight, comes the meal, nourishing and copious – we always cook too much, so that we can share with our neighbours and give to the poor.
Ramadan is the month of charity, when it’s inconceivable that anyone could go hungry. When you invite someone to eat at home, it’s in the spirit of God, and your house becomes a little sacred, like a mosque. And that’s understandable, the discipline of Ramadan is pretty tough, so if you have to go hungry in the evening, it becomes impossible!
Throughout the day, of course, you must not eat or drink. No smoking either, no perfumes, no pleasures of the senses, no pleasures of love. And avoid thinking about it too, because as always in Islam, the intention counts as much as the fact. Anyone who fasts all day thinking incessantly about their evening meal would not be faithful to the spirit of the sacred month. Nor would anyone who got angry or upset. They would then have to replace their day of fasting, by extending it beyond the end of Ramadan… how difficult it is to be hungry and thirsty all day, in hot weather (yesterday it was nearly 30° during the day), while remaining in an even-tempered mood!
There are various penalties for failing to follow Ramadan. If, by mistake, they unwittingly swallow water (for example while brushing their teeth or refreshing themselves – fortunately it is permissible to splash water on oneself to refresh oneself) or a mouthful of food, they will have to replace the lost day of fasting with another. If he is unable to resist for one day, and eats or drinks knowingly, he must then extend his fast for 30 days, or feed 60 poor people one evening.
The sick, pregnant or breast-feeding women, those menstruating, and travellers going more than 80 kilometres are not subject to Ramadan. They will then have to “pay back” the young person by doing it later, whether it’s the whole month, or just a few days lost.
Many Muslims also choose to extend the fasting period by a further 6 days, after the compulsory three-day break for Eid el Fitr.
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