We just ended the long month of Ramadan last week Saturday, at sunset to be exact. It was amazing how friendly and happy the security guards at the gates were the next day as we went in and out of the compound. It's the beginning of Eid Al'Fitr, the celebration that starts immediately following the end of Ramadan, and clearly the gentlemen were no longer fasting. Keeping in mind that I am not an Islamic scholar, just an observer, let me give you some background on the two most important holidays of the Islamic calendar.
In a nutshell, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It's based on a lunar calendar, so the date moves forward by about 10-11 days each year. The beginning is marked by the viewing of the crescent moon. During this month, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking (even water is forbidden), smoking, having sex, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from sunrise to sunset. In addition, during Ramadan followers of Islam are especially generous to the needy, repentant of past sins, and generally try to purify themselves through self restraint and good deeds.
Eid Al-Fitr occurs on the sighting of the next new crescent moon - it officially marks the end of Ramadan. During Eid festival, Muslims celebrate by offering Eid-specific prayers, visiting relatives, feasting, gift giving, wearing their best or new clothes, and donating food to the poor. This Eid is a day of rejoicing, happiness, and celebration. The Saudi government gives us four days off, making it a week-long holiday.
I read an interesting op-ed piece in the Arab News last week that caused me to stop and think about religious celebrations. The author of essay was pointing out that many Muslims were not approaching Ramadan with the sincerity and reverence they should, that they had a basic lack of spirituality during the holy month. Often people turn their schedules upside down to make "getting through" the month of fasting easier...so they sleep much of the day and then feast, drink and party all night. I have heard that many people actually gain weight during the month! There are all kinds of special (but non-religious) entertainment shows broadcast on cable in the middle of the night. Lamenting the increasing amount of "Ramadan Sales" and other retail specials that are profiting from the holiday, the author voiced his concern about his fellow believers losing the spirit of Ramadan.
In a broad sense, doesn't that sound familiar?
The parallels between modern-day Ramdan/Eid Al-Fitr and Christmas celebrations provides food for thought. Why is it that modern society, regardless the religion or country, seems to be slowly secularizing religious holidays? Is it part of human nature? How far back does this trend go in history? Are there indications of this happening in places such as ancient Mayan cultures, for example? Or is this truly a modern trend, perhaps a sign of "end-times" ?
I'm not convinced that it's an intentional secularization of these religious observances. Perhaps pieces of the celebrations, such as gift giving, are gradually being taken to extremes, elevating that particular portion of the celebration above other equally important ones and thus corrupting the original intent. Capitalizing on the potential profits from these holidays is just common greed, one of the ugly characteristics of human nature that knows no borders.
When we first arrived, the differences between our culture and the Saudis were glaring. Those obvious differences still exist, but the longer we're here it's becoming clearer to me that the differences are just surface. Underneath it all we are more alike than we realize.
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