Celebrations and holidays, whether religious (Christmas, Ramadan, Easter), secular (Independence Days National Days), biological (birthdays), scientific (New Year’s, Equinoxes and Solstices), or for any other reason mark a period of time when the human spirit seems most alive and vitalized. Emotions run the full gamut of possibilities, sensory input and stimulation are at all time highs, and the usual problems of life seem to melt away as people embrace the opportunity to relax and enjoy life perhaps more than usual. There is perhaps no better example of this than the Christmas truce that occurred between British & German troops in December 1914 (and to a lesser extent in 1915 between German & French troops) amidst the terror of World War I. Despite heavy fighting that started in August (or earlier), several unofficial truces were declared between the troops along front lines and saw them singing Christmas carols, enjoying drinks, and actually cohabiting with one another in ‘No man’s land.’ This is a miraculous display of human behavior and is testament to the strong pull that holidays/celebrations have and the human desire for tradition.
This brings me to the present time in Yemen, where for the past four weeks I have been able to witness a period of great celebration and tradition within the Islamic/Arab world: Ramadan. As with most new experiences in life, I (like most humans) search my memory bank of experience to help me understand and make sense of the new events taking place around me. With Ramadan, the closest thing I can compare it to is the festive atmosphere that abounds during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period as well as the 4th of July and Thanksgiving in the United States. There is a major difference between these holidays and Ramadan, however, as Ramadan is a much lengthier and sustained celebration. As I mentioned above, Ramadan is an entire month and during that month the normal pace of life is almost completely abandoned and a very different rhythm permeates the daily existence of people. Also making Ramadan different is the fact that it involves fasting during daylight hours, which adds an element unfamiliar to any holiday from my childhood except perhaps for the period of Lenten that certain Christian sects observe. It is the universal following and adherence by the people to this principle, though, that makes Ramadan so different from holidays and observances which are are customary to me. The fact that everyone, with the exception of small children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with diabetes, and those with illnesses, is fasting creates a strong sense of camaraderie among the people and I believe makes it easier to get through each day.
I would now like to digress and offer my personal observations on religious celebrations from a non-religious point of view, which will be the heart of this particular blog post. Over the past month I have spent a rather significant amount of time observing and thinking about the role that religious celebrations play in societies. Spending nearly all of my life, save for the past month, in a Christian dominated society allowed me to experience and understand the central holidays/observances associated with that faith. Christmas and Easter are by far the two biggest holy days within the Christian calendar, and my childhood is filled with great experiences from those ‘breaks’ and the wonderful family gatherings that took place during them. From talking to people in Sana’a, I have come to understand that Ramadan holds a very similar place in people’s lives here. In fact, during my first few days here I had several Yemeni men tell me that “Ramadan is the best time of the entire year” and that “You are here during a great time.” Certainly I have seen that Ramadan is a unique time period, but oddly enough I have not actually seen much of the normal pace of life because Ramadan began on my third day here.
To get back to my observations, though. As I eased from childhood to adulthood, I began to see things from a more removed perspective and as a result have been able to take a step back and see things for what they truly are and make decisions for myself about life situations. One example is my take on the Christmas holiday. As a child I thought very little about the true origins of this holiday and was much more concerned with presents, time off from school, and the other ‘fun’ things associated with it. In my adult life I have tried to understand more clearly how this holiday has evolved throughout time and have come to realize it is much different today than from its origins. Nearly everyone knows that the basis for this holiday is the birth of Jesus Christ around 2000 years ago. Someone visiting the United States (or likely most other Christian dominated countries) during the Christmas holiday season today may have difficulty understanding this, however, as the holiday now seems to be much more centered around the commercialization of this time period and the (truly) ridiculous amount of money spent.
Ramadan, at least in my perspective, has had a similar evolution. The origins of Ramadan are loosely based around the time period when God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Mohammed. This month is marked by an increase in prayer, self-sacrifice (through fasting), repentance from past wrong-doings, and an overall rejuvenation in the Muslim population. I do believe that Ramadan still plays this role, just as I believe that those who truly practice Christianity gain much from the holidays associated with their faith. The fasting period was originally supposed to be incorporated into the normal daily activities and therefore not significantly change the regular obligations/responsibilities of people. Just as Christmas gradually moved from being a ‘pure’ celebration, however, Ramadan too has changed. Now it is not uncommon for people to sleep very late into the day, even as late as three or four o’clock, and then eat iftar a few hours later. People then spend the evening eating, drinking, celebrating, chewing qat, shopping, and in effect doing the things they would normally do during the daylight hours. It is as if daytime and nighttime reverse roles for this month. From my perspective, sleeping late into the day and avoiding work until after iftar completely defeats the purpose of the fast. Fasting is supposed to force one to come to terms with having less and to push through the difficulty associated with being hungry. It is precisely this feeling that I believe is at the heart of fasting. It seems that fasting should become something that one does in addition to their normal affairs not in their absence. It is quite obvious that it is much easier to fast for an entire day when one spends all the time sleeping and resting than when engaged in the pace of a normal work day. I have been rather surprised to see that Ramadan has evolved into its current form and wonder how much of the Islamic population is aware of this.
I do not mean to be critical of Islam, Christianity, or any other religion that observes holy days, I am just offering my perspective on what I believe is the evolution of holy days in modern times. I am positive that there are individuals from Christianity and Islam (and other world religions) who personally stick to the roots of their religious celebrations and observances, but it seems to me that on a societal level the true meaning of many holy days has become lost in the festivities, marketing, and commercialization associated with them. I am not even saying that I see this as a bad thing or a good thing, for that matter, as I feel I am an outsider simply looking in on these events. This evolution most simply put 'is what it is', like most things. These are just my thoughts and I do not believe anyone is less virtuous for not adhering to the principles laid out in their faith system. I also do not believe I am any better than anyone for the approach I take to life and can not stress this enough. I have just had much time to cogitate on these thoughts and felt the need to share them.
Coming up after this post will be a more descriptive account of Ramadan including observations on the “sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and more” associated with this wonderful time. As they say in Islamic culture “Ramadan Kareem” (have a wonderful Ramadan), I certainly did. Namaste, JOE
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