Holiday Weekend

Today marks the beginning of the holiday weekend here in the Middle East with the Jews celebrating Roshashana, Muslims marking the end of Ramadan with Eid Al-Fitr, and me praying that I havn’t forgotten about an important Christian holiday. So since I am pretty positive I’m the clear from celebrating anything, I have to admit I’m probably as excited, if not more, than most practicing Muslims about Ramadan coming to a close.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ramadan, it’s the holy month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown and learn to appreciate not only all the things they have been given, but also what life is like for those less fortunate. This is a time where Muslims practice self-restraint by refraining from drinking alcohol or buying nice things and increasing donations to the poor. It’s basically is a cleansing month that gives Muslims time to focus on their relationship with God.

For our group, and the many other ex-patriots living in Cairo, Ramadan means something very different: no alcohol served anywhere, no restaurants or stores open until after the last call to prayer (around 9:30 pm) and no drinking, eating or smoking anywhere in public. Arriving in the middle of Ramadan was both a blessing and a curse; to understand Cairo, you have to appreciate the role of religion in Cairene’s daily lives, but understanding and appreciating it can also get exhausting.

Not only is it exhausting for us to have to find restaurants open for lunch, even stores open at all, it has been a very hot summer here in Cairo with the average temperature around 108 degrees. This, coupled with the fact that no one can eat or drink for 12 hours of the day, has raised tensions and it is not unusual to see people arguing in the streets—especially before iftar when people are racing home to break fast with their family.

While it has been frustrating living here during Ramadan, it was nice to be introduced to the city when it is decorated with its infamous Ramadan lanterns and banners hanging on each street—I even bought a few to take home to the States! So cheers to the end of Ramadan (and to alcohol!) and celebrating our holiday 10 hours to the North of Cairo in Siwa Oasis—I’ll be sure to post pictures after we get back! Enjoy all your weekends!