As you might know already, we have been celebrating the holy month of Ramadan in the UAE since April for about 30 days now. Due to the current situation with Corona virus, the celebration has been kinda subdued and there are restrictions towards what can be done, as well.
Eid Mubarak! Here is a little about Ramadan that I, as a non Muslim and an UAE expat, have come to learn in the past few years, in my Sunday post! Click To TweetA little bit about Ramadan 2020
Here is a little about Ramadan that I, as a non Muslim and UAE expat, have come to learn in the past few years.
Ramadan usually begins with the moon sighting to mark the beginning of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan 2020 started on April 23rd.
During this holy month, millions of Muslims will undergo fasting between dawn to dusk with family and friends. But, of course, this year due to the Corona virus lock down, breaking of the fast (iftar) ritual has been restricted to close family only.
As per practice, there are five things that Muslims are usually encouraged to during the month of Ramadan.
- Fast between dawn to dusk
- Pray five times at their mosques
- Donate to charity
- Spend time with family and strengthen their faith
- Take a pilgrimmage to Meccah, Saudi Arabia
Non Muslims are expected to be mindful about these rules. Usually there are no music or entertainment in the public and refrain from eating or drinking in front of those who are fasting. Usually the non fasting people eat at cordoned areas in the workplaces.
Some of those rules are changing for the current year, like the pilgrimage or praying at the mosques, which have been shut down for now.
A committee meets to officially mark the beginning of the tenth month based on the moon. This year, the moon sighting committee met virtually on Saturday to announce that the new month begins today!
We are on extended holidays for the Eid Al Fitr (end of Ramadan 2020/ end of breaking the fast) which started from Friday till Monday
Whoa that went longer than I expected it to be. Let me know if it were too much!
What I read this week
This has been an average reading week for me.
I finished reading two books this week. But I had started reading them weeks ago. Hence no so great actually
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
- Flateshare, The by Beth O’Leary
What I watched this week
I watched Scooby Doo and it was nostalgic. We had a namesake dog when I was young and I kept sending pictures of Scooby to my mom, who was overjoyed.
On my blog
In case you missed any of the posts this week, here is a recap!
On Friday I recommended Eight Books That Will Make You Smarter
On Wednesday I posted How To Write Book Reviews – A Guide
I reviewed the book Mrs, Everything, on Monday.
How To Get Away With Murder & Other Things From This Week: Sunday Musings #75
I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.
Around the blogosphere
- Lindsi at Do you dog ear asks what you do with books that you DNF. I pass it on to friends who might enjoy them.
- Marie tells us it is okay for book bloggers to not be on every social platform. She talks about that and about other ways book blogging has changed in her post.
- Brianna talks about book to movie adaptations and how unfairly we judge them here.
From the Insta-world
And here are my shots on Instagram this week
Pin me!
Let us chat
Did you learn anything new about Ramadan here? Do you know anyone who celebrates the month of Ramadan? What are you watching/reading these days? Let us talk.
Nice post. Looks like you had a good week and I love your pics.
Thank you! I did definitely.
I have the flat share on my shelf hopefully be reading it soon
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you for sharing.
Glad you liked it.
I have a co-worker who is Muslim and was fasting this past month. With the whole COVID-19 thing it made everything a bit different. Thanks for talking about it. I feel like we should all know more about other cultures and religions. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous week!
I am glad you found it informative Tressa!
That was a lot of really great information about Ramadan. Thanks for sharing!
I am glad you liked it.
I totally watched Scooby doo this weekend as well!
I hope you enjoyed!
Religions are all so complicated – I’m lazy – it’s far easier to be a heathen 😉
Ha. You never fail to make me laugh.
I hope you managed to have a good Eid in spite of everything. Thanks for sharing about Ramadan. I only know a little, and I love learning about others’ traditions.
I am glad you felt interesting.
Interesting information. Thanks for sharing.
Yay, thank you!
It was interesting to read about Ramadan. Your Scooby dog sounds like he was such a sweetie.
He definitely was.
Interesting notes on Ramadan. I like your travel pics. Happy reading.
Thank you so much.
I know a little about Ramadan, but I appreciated your explanation. I love that the period emphasises family closeness.
Wishing you a great reading week
I am glad you enjoyed the post.
Thank you for explaining the celebration of Ramadan. I visited Tangier last year and it happened to be during Ramadan. There was a special restaurant open for tourists. Towards the evening we would see huge trays being brought out for the breaking of the fast! We also noticed that most women were wearing very traditional cover-ups and our guide explained that usually they are more modern, but they dress more modestly for the Holy month.
sorry I left a comment, but that link didn’t work.. this one does Have a great week.
I enjoyed the recap on Ramadan…and hope for a peaceful time.
Your books look good, and as you know, I got The Flatshare this week. A while ago, I read and enjoyed Mrs. Everything.
Have a great week, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Thanks for the info on Ramadan. I never knew. Sorry your celebrations were altered by Corona. Seems like everything has been.
I watched Scooby Doo, too. Forgot to add it in my post. It was cute. Loved Scooby as a kid.
I also pass my DNF to other readers. Not every one’s tastes are the same so I hope that someone else will enjoy what I didn’t.
I usually hear fireworks at the end of Ramadan in my neighborhood. I guess corona ruined that too. –sigh– I was such a Scooby fan as a kid. Watched it every Saturday. Must have been a fun walk down memory lane for you.
Thanks for the recap on Ramadan – I know one person at work who celebrates Ramadan, but I don’t know them that well. This week, I been re-reading the stunning, Gothic modern-classic, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and what lots of TV shows! I hope your coming week is a good one. Happy reading and take care. 🙂
Thanks for the recap on Ramadan. I knew most of it already, as I have some Muslim friends. And I was even able to see (in a video chat) what a friend of mine made for the celebration this weekend. I’m sure it’s been a very different Ramadan for people everywhere.
Have a wonderful week ahead, Gayathri. Stay safe and healthy 🙂
Have you seen Scoob? It was soooo sweet and such a lovely throw back.
Thanks for the lesson on Ramadan!
Thanks for sharing about Ramadan! And happy holiday! Hope you have a wonderful weekend…
I haven’t been reading much this week. 🙁
Scooby sounds fun!