Ramadan is a month long observance when Muslims fast during the daylight hours. When the sun goes down each day, they break their fast and can eat and drink until the next morning right before dawn. Many Muslims in Saudi Arabia actually reverse their days and nights and tend to sleep during the day when they are fasting and then stay up all night long when they can eat. I don't believe this is a common practise in other Muslim countries.
These are some more samples of window displays of Ramadan Greetings in shops in a local mall here in Jeddah.
It would probably make sense to sleep in the day when you can't eat in that kind of climate.
ReplyDeleteYes, William - but actually in my opinion it defeats the whole purpose of Ramadan, which is to feel empathy for those less fortunate than you are, those with not enough food or drink or money. By being awake and fasting during the day, one would tend to feel the hunger and thirst more so than while one is sleeping. In other Muslim countries, people pretty much stick to their normal schedule, so I think they are practising more how it was intended.
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