For those of you who are not aware, the Islamic holiday of Ramadan has been going on since June 28th and ends tomorrow, July 27th. This is a month where Muslims around the world are fasting during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset. This month is believed to be the time when the prophet Mohammad received the Holy Quran. In addition to not eating or drinking, other behaviors such as evil thoughts and using curse words are to be avoided in order to cleanse the body and mind. There are also additional prayer times observed and it is encouraged to give to charity. Since the cycle of fasting is based upon the sun/moon rotation, each city is given its own set calendar for Suhoor o Iftar timing (when to begin fasting and when to break fasting).
Now, the reason that I have not mentioned this occurrence as a part of my blog before is because I wanted to see what it was really like to be in a country that is 99% Muslim during Ramadan before attempting to comment on it. When I found out about Ramadan before leaving the United States, I thought that all restaurants would be closed during the day and I would be forced to eat the Cliff granola bars I packed in my suitcase for lunch. However, upon arrival I realized that would not be the case. Then again, let me remind you that I have spent a majority of my time here in Ankara, the capital which is the 2nd largest city in Turkey and a very Westernized city.
I have come to realize that it is a personal choice whether or not a person decides to participate in the fasting of Ramadan. For a relatable comparison it is like how many Americans do not go to church on a weekly or regular basis, but will attend a Christmas and/or Easter service. During my stay I have met many who are currently fasting, have fasted previously, or do not care to participate in the tradition. We were never the only people in a restaurant nor did I feel out of place eating during the day at any time. I also learned during my interview with Kutay how there are exceptions made to fasting. For instance only those who are healthy and able are expected to participate; those who are pregnant or diabetic are certainly not expected to endanger themselves by abstaining from eating or drinking. So, as I am a young, healthy, and able individual spending the month of Ramadan in Turkey I decided to “try Ramadan.”
This past Wednesday I thought I would spend a day fasting. Therefore, I woke up at 3:30 AM to eat a Cliff bar and some crackers. I then went back to sleep before waking up to start my day. I accidentally forgot to take my multivitamin and brush my teeth when I ate earlier so I “cheated” only in this way. Originally, I told myself I would a lot myself two bottles of water for the day because I was unsure I would be able to handle the proper fasting. However, once I made it to lunchtime without drinking anything I reconsidered and decided to do the full-on fast.
I had previous experience with fasting when I was younger and my church youth group would do the 30-hour famine as a fundraiser for world hunger. However, this did not compare to my Ramadan fasting experience for many reasons. First and foremost, think about how hot it is in Turkey in the middle of July. Try walking around outside as your main means of transportation and not being able to drink water once arriving at your destination. Secondly, instead of watching movies and sleeping all day as I had done before I was working 8 hours and then went to play volleyball and futbol with a group of my friends. Third, the people I was surrounded by for the most part were not fasting. Lunchtime was probably the most torturous sitting at the table smelling the food (Turkish cuisine really is amazing!) and listening to ice clinking in the water glass.
Even with all the difficulty of the first day, I survived and thought it was such a good experience I decided to attempt a second day in a row. This time, I remembered my multivitamin and brushed my teeth so I was able to complete the fasting how it is supposed to be done. What made the experience even more proper was that when Kutay heard I had decided to fast, he invited me to join him and his parents for the evening breaking of the fast, Iftar. I was welcomed into his parent’s home where we waited patiently for the proper time to eat. Let me tell you that when 8:30 PM hits, the first action is to CHUG water. 17 hours without water is most definitely the hardest part. But after that came the feasting on multiple homemade Turkish dishes. His mother informed me (through Kutay’s translation) that usually there is not such a large variety of food but when she heard that I was attending the meal she wanted to make as many different traditional foods as possible. Although his parents did not speak English, I was able to use a few of my Turkish words to make the dinner very enjoyable and one of the most memorable parts of my experience here in Turkey.
The reaction of one of the pharmacists who found out I had fasted for two days (when I am not Muslim) was, “May God bless you!” In fact, I impressed almost everyone who found out I had made the decision to participate in a similar fashion. However, I don’t think what I did was that impressive when you consider those who fast the full 30 days of Ramadan. I have gained an immense respect for the practice and the significance behind its purpose. Even though I am not a Muslim, I have gained an appreciation for the amount of self-control and personal betterment that is the foundation of Ramadan.