I'm Back! and it's Ramadan! and I'm hungry!

To those of you who have missed me - I am truly sorry not to have written anything for some time now. I'm not sure what has kept me from it, but something certainly has. Perhaps I'll explore that at a later date. But for now - I'M HUNGRY!

Over the past year, I have spent the better part of three months in Jordan. My time here overall has been pleasant and enjoyable. Amman is a welcoming city with a vibrant social scene, friendly people, and excellent Arab cuisine. This trip, however, falls during the holy month of Ramadan and fasting is de rigeur. While this is something anathema to most of us, I have decided to participate during my journey, as it is the custom here and I would like respect and better understand the customs of my co-inhabitants on this planet - and it couldn't hurt for me to skip a few meals. As is often the case, I have found far more similarities than differences in the meaning and reasoning behind this practice than most of us might expect when faced with something so "foreign."

Each year from new moon to moon during the ninth month of the lunar calendar - Ramadan - Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This is to pay homage to God and recognize their blessings - it is the month God passed down the holy text of the Qu'ran to mankind.

Before the Islamic Calendar was standardized, Ramadan always fell during the Summer months - now it moves 10 days earlier each year in relation to the Gregorian Calendar. (Many believe this allowed for the figurative and possibly literal burning away of past sins. The Qu'ran states that during Ramadan the gates of heaven are open and the gates of hell closed - ie. get your house in order while the time is right!) I think it must also have correlated to the period of the year when food supply was scarce in the region and it was necessary to conserve resources. (Isnt't it funny that so many religious observances arise out of necessity - but assigning them "god's will" brings the required conformity.)

So this year I find myself arriving to The Hashemite Kingdom smack dab in the middle of Ramadan. With 28 days from new moon to new moon, I am here on the 14th day of Ramadan in August in one of the hottest regions of the world, and it is now 4:00pm and I am hungry - not to mention thirsty - Did I mention this is a fast of both food and water? So no food or water from sunrise to sunset. Did I mention I'm hungry?

The normally bustling streets around my hotel are all but empty. The restaurants nearby have Ramadan hours posted - "In observance of the holy month of Ramadan, we will be opening at 7:30pm and closing at 2:00am." Government offices are working half days - many private companies as well have reduced hours during this time, as working a full day is nearly impossible without some form of nourishment. And lots of families choose this month to vacation or commune with one another.

I have been told historically the Ramadan fast also served as an opportunity to correct the over-indulgence of the rest the year. Most people lost weight and used the time to reconnect not only with God and family, but also with their own bodies. The fasting reminded them of their excesses and gave them a mandated time to fix the damage done each year. (Of course many devout Muslims fast once a week as well - which also serves this same spiritual and physical purpose.)

Recently though, especially as secularization and affluence has increased in Muslim communities, the fast-breaking at the end of the day and feasting during Eid - the final day of Ramadan - has in itself become an excess. Rather than losing the weight of idleness and gluttony from the past year, many celebrants are now so overindulgent when the fast breaks that they are gaining weight!

Many would say this is the influence of the West - including many Westerners - especially when all you have to do is look at the retailing which seems to have overshadowed Christmas. (I often tell artisans targeting product development for the US, "Christmas in the US is no longer about God - it is about Santa.") Perhaps this is all too true.

In many ways - except the not eating part - Ramadan tradition is similar to the US Christmas season - beginning with Thanksgiving and moving through New Year, we make time for family, for friends, for celebrating both our god and our cultural heritage. (At least that is what we are supposed to be doing.) During Ramadan, Muslims remember their bounty by depriving themselves of it temporarily, and they thank God for the gift He sent to earth in the form of the Qu'ran as a guide for them to live their lives.

Aren't these the same principles we are trying to remember with "Giving Thanks" for our harvest and with Christmas for the blessing God has sent down to us in the form of His Son -also a model by which we can live our lives? Whether you are a Christian or a Muslim or any other participant in the world community aren't your blessings worth taking the time to recognize and honor? And shouldn't we look to our fellow man and try to better understand his place and his practice as well?

I'll let you know as this fasting thing develops. Obviously just a few hours has caused a great deal of reflection for me - or perhaps it is just the slight faintness I am feeling as my blood sugar creeps ever lower! No, I think this may be a part of the exercise...