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Ramdan, My Story

Kamangir | October 2, 2006 | Category Iran

The holy month of Ramadan began about a week ago. Living in a country where you are assumed to be a Muslim by default, my main impression of this holy event had been the fact that eating and drinking are also added to the long list of not-to-do stuff. Though, I have to admit that as time goes on, more Muslims understand that other people may think differently. I would add that the Islamic Republic is also loosing its power, and charisma. On top of that, the majority of those that fast are nice people who are just delighted to be invited in God’s feast, that’s an Islamic/Iranian name for Ramadan.

It is interesting to know that prices go up at the beginning of Ramadan, thanks to the weak Iranian economy. For a month which should be a symbol of spending time to make a better relationship with God, this is a bit strange, and yet a little bit shameful. Actually, statistics and the average Iranian, both, say that the demand for groceries increases at Ramadan. My father in law put it like this, “you eat anyways, but you have a good reason to eat more in Ramadan”.

I used this long introduction to reach to my interest in Ramadan. Iftar, breaking the fast, is treated very much like a feast, even in Winnipeg. Being proud of having listened to God’s orders, Iranians sit around the table cloth and fill their stomach with food, some of which are customary to Ramadan.

The picture shows a typical Iranian Ramadan table. From top left it goes like this,

Herbs: You can make a fantastically delicious herb-cheese sandwich, which I do miss here.

Aash: A soup with herbs and starch, good for blowing your stomach off.

Tea.

Bread: This one is Sangak, and is it delicious.

The second row,

Cheese: Which obviously is not a filtered creamy gel.

Zolbia: A Ramadan-specific sweet cookie.

Dates: Fantastic source of sugar.

Any way, happy Ramadan to believers and enjoyers, and both.

Reader's Comments

  1. PersianArchitect | October 2nd, 2006 at 6:41 pm

    LoL..I think I will be considered an enjoyer….It is 3:30 and after looking at that picture, I shall take a trip to my kitchen. By the way thanx for the link Arash.

  2. musicalchef | October 2nd, 2006 at 8:14 pm

    Happy Ramadan to you too! The herb sandwich sounds really good. The cheese and bread make a nice sahur, as they’re quite filling.

  3. kamangir | October 2nd, 2006 at 8:24 pm

    PersianArchitect,
    I am an enjoyer, too. :)

  4. kamangir | October 2nd, 2006 at 8:25 pm

    musicalchef,
    Indeed. By the way, what is sahur?

  5. Hossein | October 2nd, 2006 at 11:29 pm

    I heard that this year all the places that sell anything eatable (including Bufe) have been forced to close by “security” (Farsi: حراست).

  6. از زندگی | October 3rd, 2006 at 7:19 am

    چه هوس انگیزه

    Translation: How tempting!

  7. Vilas | October 3rd, 2006 at 7:59 am

    Suhoor is the name of the dawn meal prior to the day of fasting.

  8. Mahi | October 3rd, 2006 at 8:25 am

    I missed all the good food in Eftar:(

  9. musicalchef | October 3rd, 2006 at 8:46 am

    Sahur (suhoor), in Arabic, is the meal before dawn. What is it called in Farsi? My Pakistani in-laws call it “Sehri” (pronounced “say-ree”).

  10. kamangir | October 3rd, 2006 at 10:12 am

    Hossein,
    Great!

  11. kamangir | October 3rd, 2006 at 10:12 am

    از زندگی,
    Exactly.

  12. kamangir | October 3rd, 2006 at 10:13 am

    Vilas and musicalchef,
    We call that Sahari.

  13. kamangir | October 3rd, 2006 at 10:18 am

    Mahi,
    You definitely are an enjoyer.

  14. Sivan | October 4th, 2006 at 7:06 am

    Dear Kanangir and everyone,
    kull `am wa-intum bi-kheyr!
    you might be interesred to know that in Israel we mentioned yesterday Yom Kippur, which is a day of fasting and repentance. Everything is closed, not a single car drives the streets, and most of the TV channels are not broadcasting. Do you think we can call Israel “the Jewish republic”?

  15. kamangir | October 4th, 2006 at 10:00 am

    Sivan,
    Does “bi-kheir” mean “be good”? Because that’s how it will mean in Arabic. Any way, does Yom Kippur mean no one can use their cars during that day? Because it is not quite understandable for me to think of a country in which every single person follows the same religious ideas.

  16. Sivan | October 5th, 2006 at 1:49 am

    Kamangir,
    Iwas aiming for the Arabic blessing, and I apologize for any mistak I might have made.
    It’s hard to believe, I know, but that’s the way it is. Of course, not everybody in Israel are Jewish or Jews: there are Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Armenians, Druzes, Ahmadis, Bahais, etc. I don’t know how it works in places where the majority is Muslim, for example, but I can promise you that in Jerusalem (where I live) and in most big cities there is no traffic whatsoever. Not a single estaurent is open, nor any shop, office, museum, or any other thing which you might call “secular”. I’m not religious, I consider myself to be “free” or an atheist, I don’t fast, I watch TV (thank you al-Jazeerah cannel…), I surf the internet, but I can’t drive my car, I can’t buy milk… I hope you understand what it’s like. I do live in a religious country, which forces me to follow certain religious traditions which I wouldn’t choose (for example, to get married in a religious ceremony).
    OK, that was long, so I’ll stop here. Tell me for you’re interested in more complaints…
    Sivan

  17. kamangir | October 5th, 2006 at 11:39 am

    Sivan,
    Fantastic! It seems that the Islamic Republic is not the only religious opression force in the universe. Israelis of the world, give an answer!

  18. kamangir | October 5th, 2006 at 11:40 am

    Sivan,
    Let’s ask the public about this. I pasted your comment as a post.

  19. The Jewish Republic, or Is Yom Kippur Another Compulsory Ramadan? « Kamangir (Archer) - کمانگیر | October 5th, 2006 at 11:59 am

    [...] In a recent post (see), I complained about the way Ramadan rituals are practiced in Iran. My central point was that Muslims force others to refrain from eating and drinking because they want to fast. A comment came from Sivan, who probably lives in Amsterdam, [...]

  20. Sivan | October 8th, 2006 at 7:47 am

    Kamangir,
    I was disconnected from the internet (and the world) for the weekend (which in Israel is Friday-Saturday).
    I’m going to check now the new post, which seems to attract a lot of attention.
    Sivan

  21. kamangir | October 9th, 2006 at 11:51 am

    Sivan,
    Yes, the post seems to be attracting more and more people. Let’s talk there.

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