Ramadan is upon us, no eating, drinking, smoking or chewing of any kind in public (this means in your car, or even on your own property if other people can see you) from the hours between sunrise and sunset. Sunrise is determined by “the white thread can be distinguished from the black thread of dawn.”Ramadan was estimated to start on September 24th so Barry and I were taken of guard when we attempted to go for breakfast on Saturday and the food outlets were closed. We dropped in to the Hyper Panda (not an endangered animal looped on sugar but a supermarket) and ordered some Manakesh from the bakery (warm, pizza looking, tasty Arabic fare). We then returned to our car, suspiciously parked in a far-away spot and sneakily and unlawfully ate our breakfast.
Negative: No morning coffee at the coffee bean and tea leaf. All cafés, restaurants and the like are closed unless they can somehow be screened off so that the people eating can not be seen by the public.
Positive: Iftar, is the evening meal after breaking fast held after the sunsets. Restaurants celebrate Iftar usually by serving a buffet amongst Layali tents, providing Oud entertainment, Arabic coffee, assorted Arabic desserts and seasonal Iftar beverages while you enjoy an assortment of shisha flavours.
Interesting: Since the festival is linked to the lunar calendar and the moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, it would depend on which lunar sighting that individual recognizes.
Various forms of media have advised to stay off the roads during Iftar as people rushing home for their first meal in 12 hours means the roads are chaotic/dangerous.
Ramadan will end around October 23 and at the end of the one month there is an Islamic holiday called Eid ul-Fitr (known as Eid) to mark the end of Ramadan and the fasting.
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