The city has come alive......

On Monday, a few times during the day I heard sirens going off in the city that sounded like air raids, but I KNEW they weren't to warn the city of some impending bombing, it was the signal that Ramadan had started in Saudi Arabia, and that at dusk, Ramazan (as it is called in India) will begin.
Since Canada is a multi-cultural country and I have a few Muslim friends I met at university, I know what Ramadan means. Also, I got to learn more about it having traveled to a Muslim country during the time of Ramada (Malaysia).
Ramazan is similar to lent (for Christians), as the idea behind it is will power and giving something up as a sacrifice to God or in this case Allah (which means God in Arabic). Fasting is meant to teach the person patience and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer even more prayer than usual (and most are encouraged to recite the entire Qu'ran during Ramazan). During Ramazan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refrain from everyday evils and try to Lent is very similar as you give up something truly important to you for 40 days.
Ramazan is for 30 days on the Islamic calendar and from sunrise to sunset you fast. This includes:

• No food or drink, not even water
• No smoking
• No alcohol
• No sex
• No impure or immoral thoughts

Most people wake very early, perhaps an hour before sunrise (around 4-ish), pray and eat a hearty breakfast, then for about 13 hours they go without, as a sacrifice to Allah. Then at sunset, the fast is broken with some fruit and snacks, then there is prayer and then dinner. During the times between sunset and sunrise you can do and have all the things you can't have during the 13 or so hours of fasting. So it's not like you are giving this up for 30 days continuously.

Hyderabad is about 50-60% Muslim, so the city has come alive with activity. On my way to work yesterday at around 7:30pm, I noticed much more activity on the street, vendors selling the Muslim traditional food, haleem and just a general hustle and bustle of activity that is not usually present. Old city, Hyderabad, which is predominantly Muslim will be crowded, but will offer amazing shopping experiences.

Traveling and living in another culture offers so many great learning experiences and this is definitely one of them. Experiencing the real thing is so much better than reading about it in some book or reading about it in the newspaper.

I have many Muslim friends, that I have made here, and I plan to celebrate this religious holiday with them and learn as much as I can about Islam from them. I won't be fasting, but I will be enjoying the shopping and all the wonderful traditional foods that will only be available during this time in the city.