Fasting and Feasting

This month, most of the people in our country are observing Ramadan, which means that for thirty consecutive days, they are completely abstaining from all food and drink (and cigarettes!) during the day. They begin fasting at sunrise (after waking early for a big breakfast), and they break the fast at sunset with another very large meal.

Last night we took a walk right at sunset and got to photograph a few of the interesting things that happen at Iftar (breakfast) time. 

The colorful cloth barriers you see above are set up especially for Ramadan. Charity toward the poor is very important during this month, so people set up special areas to serve meals to people who can't afford their own Iftar meal. We walked by here just a minute or two after sunset, and we could hear the sounds of people eating behind the curtains. There are tents like this set up all over the city.

Another thing that happens at Iftar is that people hand out food and drinks to people in cars. There's hardly any traffic on the streets at all during this time, but the few that are driving still get to break their fast with everyone else. In the photo above, a few guys with trays are handing out juice and dates to the men on their bikes.

This man and his son had their Iftar meal on the sidewalk of a usually busy street. They just spread out a blanket right there and ate.

Here you can see shoes lined up outside a mosque, where men are performing their evening prayer before eating their meal.

And here's another woman breaking her fast right out on the sidewalk. The vast majority of people eat the Iftar meal at home with their families, but obviously I couldn't get pictures of them while we were out walking.

We passed this mosque on our walk. There is another similar one just beside our house. Many people spend more time at the mosque during Ramadan, saying extra prayers and reading through their holy book. We've noticed that the one by us has been busier than usual, especially in the evenings.

And this last photo is something else that we only see this time of year. People love to decorate with these special Ramadan lanterns, so about a month beforehand, these little street stands start popping up all over town. The lanterns range from keychain size to six-feet tall or more, and people buy them to hang in front of their homes and offices.