Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr

As most of you probably know, Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country with about 88% of Bangladeshis identifing themselves as Muslim. Bangladesh is though, a secular state and does not practice Islamic law (Shari'a) as part of its government and judicial system. Still, five times a day you will hear the call to prayers echoing throughout the streets of Dhaka. I really like the call to prayers. They can be annoying if you get woken up at 4:30 am, but you get used to it. I think Arabic is a very beautiful language especially when sung in a prayer.

The past month has been Ramadan, the 9th month of the Muslim calendar. I have done some researching and learning about Ramadan and the festival Eid ul-Fitr and I would like to share some with you. Naturally I used the most comprehensive research tool for a basic understanding of any topic under the sun: Wikipedia. One more benefit to not being in university this year.

Ramadan is a special month as it is a time of fasting. It is similar to Lent though much more intense and widely practiced. Everyday for one month Muslims around the world refrain from eating, smoking, unnecessary frivolities and even drinking water from sunrise to sundown. They are expected to give the extra money that they save on food to the poor. This month is supposed to be a time to purify oneself and become closer to God by getting rid of unwanted distractions. Ramadan is also the month where God revealed the first verses of the Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad. In Bangladesh I don't imagine many people refrain from drinking water because you would likely die especially if you do work outside.

Eid ul-Fitr (called Rojar Eid in Bangladesh) is a festival marking the end of Ramadan. This year Eid was celebrated on Monday the 21st and the two days following. Eid also marks the time when the angel Gabriel came from heaven to give white clothes to Muhammad's grandchildren. For Bangladeshis it is a family celebration. For the past week Dhaka has been unusually quiet as half the population has left for the villages. Many people will stay on vacation until next week because Durga Puja (a Hindu holiday) falls very close to Eid this year. So the usual traffic jams are no more for awhile just as I finished my daily commute across the city last week. Oh well...

So all that brings me to what I was planning on writing all along. On Monday night I was invited to an Eid meal at the home of Sagar (last name I don't know). Sagar works in the MCC Dhaka office. He lives on the top floor of an apartment building in Old Dhaka and therefore has a great view across the city from his terrace. He also has a very cute 8 month old son. For supper we ate special rice. It is smaller and has a more distinct flavour than the everyday stuff. On the rice we had chicken and beef curry with some kind of pickled mango on the side. Everything was very delicious and once again it was "suggested" by my host that I eat a lot. I was fit to burst after the first course but in a minor plot twist it was revealed that we still had dessert to tackle. We ate a special Eid dessert that is unique to south Asia. It is called shemai and consists of skinny egg noodles in a pan baked with raisins, milk and a whole lot of sugar. The end result is a brown product resembling a large birds nest. I quite enjoyed it. By the time we finished dessert I was really full and ready to fight anyone who said otherwise.

All in all, I had a good evening. A good chuck of Sagar's family was there: his wife and son, two aunts, one uncle, one young cousin, his mom and his grandmother. The aunt without the corresponding uncle is living in Regina, SK where the rest of her family currently is. She is visiting Bangladesh for a few weeks. As is custom in Bangladesh I wore a panjabi like I mentioned in my previous post. I also promised a picture, so here it is:

Also, some pictures from Sagar's terrace:

The buildings may appear to be touching, but actually there are very narrow roads between them. Eid Mubarak and Happy Durga Puja!

Ben