Ramadan
The Moroccan calendar holds many important events but Ramadan is the
most important. It is a deeply spiritual
time for all Muslims. Ramadan
commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Mohammed and it is
always in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar it does not have a fixed
date. It begins on the day of the new
moon and moves backwards each year by approximately 11 days. This year (2013)
it will fall between 9 July and 7 August when the sun rises early and sets
late. In 2014 the month of fasting will fall back slightly to 28 June to 27
July therefore falling back each year to cooler spring months.
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| Stunning Marrakech in Morocco |
During Ramadan all Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and
smoking from dawn to dusk. Physical relations are also prohibited as Muslims are
expected to spend more time in prayer seeking forgiveness and humility. There are some who are exempt such as the old
and sick, pregnant women and children.
At the end of the day just before sundown the streets empty and everyone
hurries home. When the call for prayer
from the temples is heard at sunset Moroccans everywhere will break the fast. The fast is first broken by a date and a glass
of milk followed by a bowl of harira
which is a thick lamb broth with lentils, tomatoes and chickpeas. This dish is also eaten with shebbakia
which are deep-fried pastries dipped in honey. These can be homemade or bought from the special
shebbakia stalls that are around during this time of the year.
It is in the evening after sundown that the towns and villages come
alive again. Cafes become busy, families’
parade in the streets and the shops are full again. Later in the evening between 11pm and
midnight, “dinner” will be eaten before most people drift off to bed. This festive feast, at which families come
together and celebrate, consists of tagines
of meat or vegetables, couscous, endless plate-loads of patisserie and fruit
and glasses of thick, milky drinks. Later, as the dawn prayer echoes from the
mosques, drummers patrol the streets and alleyways rousing households for the assohour,
a sleepy feast of thick pancakes spread with honey and served with mint tea or
coffee before the fasting and prayer begin again.
On the last day of Ramadan, in the evening, the fast ends. The following
day is Aid es Seghir, which means “Little
Feast”. This is a public holiday when
new clothes are worn and alms and food are distributed to the poor.
For visitors to Morocco during Ramadan does mean it will be difficult
but it is worth noting that tempers can be frayed, due to hunger and thirst and
some shops and restaurants in smaller towns or rural areas may close for the
entire month. In the larger towns and cities shops and restaurants will close
for half an hour before sunset and for an hour after sunset.
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