This year, perhaps more than any other, I’m struck by the extent to which the mere anticipation of Ramadhan is an essential event in Moroccan life (and probably elsewhere too, but I’m in Morocco).
Ramadan concerns absolutely everyone
Come to think of it, I can’t think of any comparable event in our secular or Christian traditions. Firstly because, whether they are believers or not, whether they practise their religion or not, over 99% of Moroccans are directly affected by Ramadan.
The fasting of Ramadan is compulsory for all Muslims at least in public, and failure to observe it always incurs a fine and/or prison sentence, and the strong disapproval of those around you. It is possible not to observe the fast in the private sphere, and there is no longer a risk of imprisonment after denunciation, as was the case under Hassan II, but it remains a very strong constraint that weighs on the lives of Moroccans who are not believers but are officially Muslims.
The remaining 1%, Moroccans of the Jewish or Christian faith, and foreigners living in Morocco cannot escape this either, unless they live in an autarky bordering on autism…
There are also some rather amusing movements of “holidaymakers”: Moroccans who do not wish to observe Ramadan go on holiday abroad, while many M.R.E. (Moroccans Living Abroad) head for the “bled” to spend Ramadan with their extended family, far from the difficulties of European life.
But it’s a very ‘involving’ event
It lasts a long time, a month of 29 or 30 days, a difficult and trying month. It’s also a very special month, with a mixture of deprivation during the day and compensation in the evening. We celebrate, we eat with family and friends… and it’s a month where charity, sharing and the famous Moroccan hospitality are even more important than usual.
For believers, the spiritual dimension of Ramadan is very important, and the aim for them is to transform this entire month into a kind of “retreat” by devoting (even) more time to prayer and reading the Quran. In fact, the last days of Ramadan, when the “Night of Destiny” takes place, are an opportunity for some people to make a real retreat, spending all their available time in prayer at the mosque.
Just imagine …
and it’s a “secular” comparison, but I can’t think of anything else ^^ Imagine, then, that France is in the World Cup final. And that the wait for the final match lasts a whole month. Imagine that for a whole month, an entire country “thinks football”, “eats football”, “watches football”, “trains football”…. there would be those who don’t like football, but who don’t dare talk about it, and everyone, in any case, would talk about it… for a month.
The “Night of Doubt” and the last day
It’s important to understand that, although we can calculate the day of the new moon that marks the beginning of the month of Ramadan, we still need to see the crescent moon. So there is uncertainty, to within a day, because of the angle of view, the atmosphere and the clouds.
Is Ramadan going to start on this day or the next, are we going to fast the very next morning, or do we still have a day’s respite? In the meantime, every house is being prepared and cleaned from A to Z, the last important provisions are being made, the dates that will be eaten throughout the month are being bought for the f’tour, and other food is being stocked up.
As far as possible, we try to finish our current business, because even if we work during Ramadan, we know that from tomorrow, or the day after, everything will be more difficult.
On the Internet, the websites that give Ramadan timetables are in full swing, and on Twitter, everyone is asking the question “today or tomorrow”.
Finally, the verdict is in. Ramadan has begun in Saudi Arabia and in many other countries, including France. Morocco, which is on GMT, will start Ramadan tomorrow, Saturday, at the same time as the British.
… but as had been decided beforehand, we changed the time this morning, and now have a two-hour time difference with Europe.
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