Ramadan in Cairo

November 2002

We were in Cairo for the past three weeks and traffic is worse than I remembered, but a cabbie told us it was down 30% due to it being Ramadan. I was grateful. We chose to travel during Ramadan and it has been a mixed blessing. I guess I should first explain Ramadan.
The Islamic calendar is divided into months based on lunar phases. One of these months is Ramadan. It is a month set aside for fasting, a more concentrated reading of the Koran and evaluation of one’s life in relation to God. Most Muslims take it very seriously, fasting from first morning light until evening call to prayer at about 5 p.m. Fasting for a Muslim is no food, drink or smoking during daylight every day for a month. For a non-Muslim in a Muslim country it dictates a change in the rhythm of life that can be disconcerting until one submits to the inevitable. Since the fast begins at first light, many people arise early and eat prior to sunrise then return to bed. Many businesses acknowledge this and open one hour later, 10 a.m., to allow for an extra hour of morning devotions. Americans like to get business done “first thing in the morning” and the delay can be frustrating.
As the day wears on people get slower and some get irritable, but as 3 p.m. approaches the food vendors on the street, dormant all day, begin baking and boiling, frying and roasting in preparation for the evening rush. Soon people are buying like crazy and rushing home with their fresh baked bread, fresh roasted chickens and special Ramadan pastries to share with family and friends as they celebrate another successful day of fasting. Some families go to restaurants early sit and even order, but tell the waiter they are still fasting. The waiter and cook gladly wait until evening prayer when they magically produce the ordered food in time to quell the growling stomachs that threaten to take over all conversation. Once food is consumed, there is no rush to leave. People remain for an hour or more talking and celebrating. The amazing thing is the waiters and waitresses make no effort to move them out. They don’t even bring the check until it is requested.
Another phenomenon is at 3 p.m. business stops and everyone gets on the road at once. Traffic is similar to Manhattan, Kansas just after a big Kansas State University game, except everyone is hungry, some are irritable and all are convinced of their right to get home before the others. Traffic police and signs, usually given at least a modicum of respect, are ignored in the race to the stables. It is so bad that the American Embassy in Jordan even warned its non-Muslims that it would be better to avoid the roads at that time. By 5 p.m. the roads are a ghost town with only an occasional tumbleweed of a taxi with a Christian driver blowing through.
By 7 p.m. the city has taken on its true Ramadan festive attire. It is Christmas-like. Lights are strung and cloth draperies in multicolored patterns hung by businesses are fashioned into makeshift tents at sidewalk cafes for dining and visiting. Ramadan is also a time for families to be together. Many Muslims return from working abroad, at least for part of the month, or delay travel until afterward so they can be home. Small shops and bazaars reopen and are teeming with people buying or just talking.
So, how does all this affect a typical non-Muslim American? Not at all if we hide in hotels catering to western clientele, but that is not why we are here. We usually buy bread, cheese and fruit in the evening for breakfast in our room. We have gone to Safeway in Aqaba, Jordan and bought food for lunch then clandestinely ate it under the shade of a tree in a secluded street. We have quietly slipped into a Pizza Hut next to the American University in Cairo for a personal pan pepperoni pizza behind drawn shades. Best of all, many days we have shared the fasting experience with millions of people while out and about in the city. It is all about learning and experiencing.
Ramadan just finished with a feast called Eid Al-Fitr. During the month Muslims say, “Ramadan kareem”, “Ramadan is gracious”. I like the reply, “Allah Akram”, “God is most Gracious” putting into words their thankfulness for an opportunity to fast and concentrate on the spiritual side of life.