CULTURE
Ramadan in Syria
Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and worship, is not only a
month of piety and religious duties, but also a social phenomenon
which affects the whole set of customs and habits of the Syrian
society.
Ramadan is a month of vivid
social activities. First and foremost, it is a month in which
family ties become closer than ever, in a society that is already
known for its strong family relations. Almost every member of
the extended family will take care to invite the whole family
to an Iftar (break-fasting) banquet. And in turn he or she will
be invited to other banquets held by the rest of the family members.
During the month of Ramadan, one will expect to dine with the
whole extended family an average of four to five times.
Long Ramadan nights are usually
spent with friends and neighbors. Playing cards and backgammon,
smoking water pipes, exchanging small talk and chats in groupings
of tens and more are a typical pastime favorite in Ramadan.
Are you considering going
out to a restaurant or a café in Ramadan for Iftar or after?
Be sure to reserve your place two days in advance. You need a
miracle to find a vacant table in the fashionable places around
the city. Even with the less popular outings you may end up with
a disappointment: don’t take the risk of an impromptu night
out.
Ramadan’s atmosphere
and special ambiance leave also their mark on the streets of the
major cities. The day start’s a bit late, shops are quite
and calm, and pedestrian are few. By midday, life starts to accelerate,
and shops (especially food and grocery shops) buzz with clients,
cars start to drive around faster and faster, in an ever increasing
tempo, just like Ravel’s Bolero, this peaks up just before
the Iftar, when the city dies suddenly, and life completely disappears
from the city. It is a fascinating and unique scene: a bustling
city of around five million inhabitants like Damascus becomes
a ghost town for about two hours.
Next
comes night life. At around 7 PM, shops reopen their shutters
and the city lights start glimmering anew. People start flooding
the streets and cars crowd the roads. If you pass by a confectioner
shop, especially if it makes delicious knafeh, you probably will
have to step down the pavement outside the shop because of the
buyers crowding its entrance. The city starts to calm down gradually
after midnight. But a large proportion of the population remains
awake; they would not sleep till it is Imsak (start of fasting)
time just before dawn. Once the traditional Musaher starts going
around the streets beating his drum and announcing it is time
to abstain from eating and drinking, lights start to switch off,
and the city sleeps, till the morning of another Ramadan day.
[Source: Syria-Online]
