The holidays in Morocco are a little
different from my usual Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Years combination (whoa, do we really have 4 holidays in a two month
span?). While I usually use such celebrations as an opportunity to
indulge, I find that the Moroccan holiday season celebrates by
abstaining from pleasure. Instead of using champagne or turkey to
demonstrate an appreciation for life, Moroccans celebrate by
burdening themselves with thirst and hunger. In Morocco and in the
rest of the Muslim world, The Islamic holy month of Ramadan uses
suffering as a way to cherish life.
In a lot of ways, Ramadan follows the
same principles as the holidays in America. There is less work, and
more time to spend with loved ones. This means lots of traveling and
shopping. Sounds just like America. In fact, during a visit to
Morocco's fancy mall in Casablanca I could have sworn I was in
America. Complete with escalators and Starbucks, the mall overflowed with packs of shoppers. Western consumerism has arrived in
Casablanca. Even the name of the mall is given a creative American
name: “Morocco Mall.” This leads to confusion as everything else
in Morocco is labeled in French or Arabic, and neither Maroc
(pronounce it with a French 'r') nor Mghrib (pronounce it with a
French 'r' for the gh and a Spanish 'r' for, never mind, you probably
don't care and I've probably misspelled is anyway) sound quite like
'Morocco.' The point is, Moroccans enjoy strolling around shopping
centers with family during the holidays as much as Americans do. In
terms of spending time and money with loved ones, American and
Moroccan holiday seasons serve the same function.
At a personal level however, Moroccan
holidays provide much more than a reason to travel and relax with
family. While the holidays in America hardly relate to God anymore,
Ramadan in the Islamic world is entirely associated with an
attachment to a higher being. Ramadan is a month dedicated towards
bettering oneself as a person and as a Muslim.
The defining characteristic of Ramadan
is the fasting. For an entire lunar cycle, Muslims are required to
abstain from putting anything into their bodies during the daytime.
There is no smoking, drinking, eating, or getting sexy between the
first hint of dawn ( 3:30am) and the moment the sun touches the
horizon (7:30pm). Certain people demand that fasting expand to no
showering, no deodorant, and no teeth brushing as well. But, I mean,
c'mon!
I've been doing my best to fast along
with the rest of my community (I haven't been perfect, but I've done
pretty good). I have voluntarily suffered through thirst and hunger
everyday for nearly a month now. By suffering I don't mean that I am
starving, I mean that I am putting myself through discomfort.
Fasting isn't as hard as it might seem, especially considering that I
sleep past noon everyday. Still, Daylight sucks. Few people are out
during the day. Those that are out are often cranky from hunger or
thirst or a nicotine addiction. I've seen fights break out during
the late afternoon hours. It's a celebration!
During sunset, time stands still.
Families gather to await the call to prayer signaling the end of the
day's fast. Never has a date tasted so good.
What a great image to decorate this post with. Fasting makes them look beautiful. Oh yea, the point was that dates are often the first thing a Moroccan will eat to break their fast.
Breaking fast revives my community.
After a grumpy day, with little activity, the streets erupt. Until
midnight, everyone is out and about. Going out for coffee, or
snacks, or shopping (the activity at the Morocco Mall happens at
night during Ramadan). Business does better at night than anytime
during the day. Kids find a well lit street to play soccer on. The
plazas and parks are abuzz with music and conversation. My friend
explained to me that everyone is in a good mood because God has
locked Satin up for the month of Ramadan, but I think the positive
energy has more to do with the communal experience of fasting. At
three in the morning Moroccans eat again to prepare there stomachs
for another hungry day. The nocturnal lifestyle is where Ramadan
gets its charm. The day's suffering makes the night's party that
much sweeter. It's a celebration!
Fasting is a personal feat, but it is
cool knowing that Muslims around the world are participating with me.
Most my friends tell me that the purpose of fasting is to understand
what it is like to be hungry and thirsty. I can't think of a better
way celebrate life than to learn how to cherish our most basic
necessities. It is certainly a more powerful technique than the
indulgence I'm used to. Suffering feels good. It brings Muslims
closer to God. The combination of intense prayer and fasting, raises
the spiritual consciousness of many individuals, empowering
individuals to discover themselves. I have no religious
connection to my fasting, though it still effects me in a similar
way. Like any challenge, it is satisfying to accomplish a day's
worth of fasting. It provides a sense of freedom to practice this
kind of self control. I learn that our minds and bodies are more
capable than we might realize. I feel empowered through voluntary
suffering, and the important things in life come into focus.
