Ramadan-a-ding-dong: Ramadan's here!

The Holy Month of Ramadan is a-knocking at the door, folks. For those who are unfamiliar with Islam, Ramadan is a holy month in which Muslims fast all day as a sign of devotion and humility, sort of similar to Lent for my Catholic readers (hi Mom). What does this mean for non-Muslims? A month wherein everything slows down, eating and drinking becomes a strategic feat of secrecy and planning akin to an Apple product launch, and driving before sunset is truly taking your life into your own hands (taxi drivers and people rushing home to break the fast are deadly).

I generally really love Ramadan and I've now spent three of them in the Arab world. I still get to eat during the day, but it's never that awesome (crackers snuck in the bathroom, crappy packaged food, water sipped silently at one's desk, you get the picture). But the iftar (meal to break the fast), at least in Morocco and Jordan, is awesome - it's like Thanksgiving every night for a month. Family gathers around, you eat for a long time and in a really neat traditional way (a date, a glass of milk, then depending on the country's national foods, lamb or chicken or soup and sweets and more sweets and fruit, etc...it's intense), after there's an awesome Ramadan-only soap opera called Bab al-Harra that's been playing for years, etc. It's a special time when the streets are empty and everyone's at home eating, and then they fill with people and entertainment after the soaps are over - families go out walking, there's special performances and parties and in general, a very festive and happy atmosphere. This year, there's even special Ramadan soap operas focused on the Egyptian revolution (more info here)! How cool!!

I am a bit worried, though, because I've previously been in places where I had many good local friends and even adopted families to hang out with during Ramadan. Here, not so much - I've yet to befriend a family, and my Palestinian friends aren't the 'come eat at home' types. Maybe I'll be making my own harira (traditional Moroccan Ramadan soup, delicious) and breaking the fast myself. That's ok. I'l be in Morocco for, enshallah, at least a week in this year's Ramadan, probably mid-August, which means I'll still get to totally gorge on couscous, take a nap with some old ladies, and wake up to even more food being spread in front of me.