Tag Archives: Ramadan in Dubai

Eid: Will there or won’t there be school?

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I have to add a little prologue to this blog: this year was the best Ramadan ever. There were enough eating places open during the day – hidden behind partitions and covered windows – to make the month a thoroughly palatable experience for those of us not fasting.

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Our class iftar: A highlight of the month

At work, we couldn’t eat or drink at our desks, but this was more than made up for by the shorter hours – two hours cut from the work day, even for non-Muslims. All over the city, there were some fabulous Iftars – the meal eaten after sunset, with dates first to break the fast, then lentil soup followed by exotic and flavoursome hot and cold mezze, from beetroot hummus to slow-roasted lamb in yogurt, biriyani and tabbouleh. We partook in several iftars and I can still conjure up the lavish, Middle Eastern tastes and smells as I write this post.

It also felt like the community came together in a way you don’t see so much the rest of the year – with Ramadan ‘sharing fridges’ that were filled and restocked by Dubai residents with juices, fruit, Laban and all sorts of other food items to serve the less fortunate workers and labourers; as well as various charity initiatives and donation drives. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

710f3446-c543-4b37-9e7d-b6f9408073eeAs Ramadan drew to a close, the conversation at work inevitably turned to whether the office would be shut for Eid. It depends on the moon – so hard to plan (c’mon moon!).

School, too, is shut now for 4 days, Thursday to Sunday, although I should add this hasn’t gone down quite so well with all the mums. The kids had only just gone back after a week off for half-term, and the two-month-long summer break is coming at us like a freight train, kicking off in just three short weeks. Did the kids, who’d been on reduced, 8-15am-1.15pm Ramadan hours anyway, really have to be off school yet again?!!!!

It even seemed they might get Monday off too, the jammy buggers! The KHDA, Dubai’s education authority, tweeted the following:

You can sleep late on Thursday and Sunday

Because school’s closed – it’s the #Eid holiday!

Have a great time however you choose

But remember to keep checking the news

To find out whether there’s school on Monday

And, with the pilot husband gone for the duration of Eid, I might have let out a really loud groan … followed by a sigh of relief when, after three days of will-there-or-won’t there be school on Monday discussions with my kids, it was declared that school would, after all, restart that day.

Thank you moon.

So why is fasting seen as generous?

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Costa during Ramadan Dubai

What Ramadan looks like at work: Just enter the maze!

The popular greeting RAMADAN KAREEM, meaning Ramadan is generous, is totally lost on Son2. On several occasions, he’s turned all furtive, lowered his voice and whispered to me: “Mummy, I’m so glad we’re Christian.”

He’s learnt enough about Ramadan now to know Muslims observe this time of reflection and prayer by fasting from dawn until sunset – and in his seven-year-old mind, the idea of not being allowed to eat is quite horrifying!

I was actually really looking forward to Ramadan and, now that it’s underway, I can safely say I’m enjoying it so far.

The start was confirmed by the sighting of the moon on 6th June. Once announced, Muslims abstain from drinking, eating, smoking and sex during daylight hours. The word ‘Ramadan’ is derived from the Arabic root word ‘Ramida’ meaning ‘scorched heat’ or ‘parched thirst’. And anyone who fasts in this part of the world will fully understand those terms.

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Community fridges are a big hit with workers
Across the city there are at least 20 ‘Sharing Fridges’, which residents fill with food (juices, laban, water and fresh fruit and vegetables) several times a day. The initiative was started by an Australian mum who wanted to do something to help others. Word spread quickly with more than 5,000 members now registered with the group through Facebook to participate in the campaign. Learn more at facebook.com/groups/uaefridges

For expats, Ramadan is a time to show respect for the sentiments of participating Muslims. While not expected to practise Ramadan themselves, in the UAE it is illegal for adults to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours for the whole month (unless you’re elderly, ill, pregnant, nursing or menstruating, and even then, it’s better to be discreet). This extends to travelling in a car. Even chewing gum could be seen as an offence.

Most cafes and restaurants are closed all day, although some have a closed-off area for serving take-out food to non-fasters*. Supermarkets remain open and hotels cater for tourists, but the city has a different feel about it. No music is allowed, many nightclubs are closed and there are no concerts or festivals. The city comes alive at night, with the malls open late and many people including children staying up all hours socialising.

So, why, you might be wondering, am I enjoying it so much? And how can not having any food during daylight hours be considered generous?

For me, I love the reduced working hours. Companies are obliged to shorten the day, so at my office we finish at 3.30pm (a six-hour day, rather than eight hours). School also starts later, which on the upside means a lie in. The downside is they’re let out earlier, too, at 1.30pm.

With the exception of the roads just before Iftar – when hungry drivers rush to break their fast – good will abounds. Charity tents are erected for those who wish to donate to the needy, and many restaurants serve all-you-can-eat Iftar buffets at generous prices. (It’s common to see famished fasters staring down at their food while waiting for the sunset call to prayer.) Ramadan’s generosity extends to the stores in the mall, with some great sales on at this time of year.

A last note on Ramadan at work: we’re not allowed to eat or drink at our desks, and must instead have snacks, lunch, water and cups of tea in the kitchen (whispers: I’ve never seen so many people eating!). Productivity is certainly taking a hit while sitting in the kitchen chatting, while waiting for hot drinks to cool. But just in case my boss is reading this, there’s a great deal of office bonding going on around the kettle, in the spirit of Ramadan. ☺

RAMADAN KAREEM!

* Little tip-off: Was surprised to find the entire food court at Mall of the Emirates open for business. Just duck behind the hoardings and you can sit to eat.

Sharing Fridge photo credit: The National

Let’s go to Iftar

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Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan in the UAE, and I realised that because we’ve missed it for the past few years, the children don’t actually know much about this holy month of reflection and prayer.

This was brought home to me at our local shopping centre, as Son2 begged me to let him eat a doughnut. I’d slipped into a curtained-off coffee shop to buy him a treat as an end-of-term reward, and warned him he’d have to wait until we got home to eat it, but kids have a short memory, don’t they? Especially when it comes to sticky chocolate doughnuts.

We told Son1 that some of his friends from school were probably fasting, and that a polite way to greet a Muslim who is abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours is to say ‘Ramadan Kareem’, which means ‘Have a Generous Ramadan’.

“But how is not eating generous?” asked Son1. (Good question, I thought.)

Closed off for take-away only: "You can't eat in public when the sun's up," I told Son2. "But there's no sun in here!"

Closed off for take-away only: “You can’t eat in public when the sun’s up,” I told Son2. “But there’s no sun in here!”

“Well, people give to the poor,” I explained. “You’ll see charity tents and there’s lots of good will. There’s also some great sales on at the mall.”

As sunset approached, we decided we’d introduce the children to iftar (the meal eaten to break the fast, of which there are many laid on across Dubai). Apart from the odd speeding car driven by hungry fasters anxious to get home, the roads were eerily quiet (due to working hours being reduced), and, en route, we watched the huge orange sun sink below the horizon.

My DH, who’s spent a lot more time in Dubai during Ramadan than me, mentioned that we’d know exactly when the sun had set, because smokers who’ve been without nicotine all day collectively roll their car windows down to enjoy their first cigarette.

At iftar, we sampled the dates – traditionally eaten to break the fast – and enjoyed a fantastic hotel buffet meal while also attempting to feed the boys a few more facts about Ramadan (ie, music is banned; night becomes day; and it’ll go on all month, until the moon-sighting committee spots the new moon).

I really thought we’d made some progress.

“So you know what iftar is now?” I asked.

Blank looks. “Is it the name of the restaurant, Mummy?”

Well, I suppose, when we talked about ‘going to iftar’, it could be construed as that – especially if you’ve got a short attention span.

Ramadan Kareem to all who celebrate!