We are approaching the end of Ramadan (pronounced Ramazan in Dari), the month of fasting. There are 5 pillars of Islam: the fast of Ramadan, the profession of faith (there is one God, Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet), charity, prayer 5 times each day and the Hajj or pilgramage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. All healthy, nonpregnant adults are expected to observe the fast of Ramadan. They refrain from all consumption from sunrise to sunset. They cannot smoke or be intimate during that time either. This lasts for a lunar month and starts when three selected witnesses in Mecca agree that a new moon has appeared. It ends with the same observation of the next new moon, just a few days away.
The hospital has operated on a short schedule for the last few weeks. The docs start at about 8:30 with a "morning report", an update on patients. They leave about 12:30, their normal lunch time, but don't come back.
With the ending of Ramadan, they will have a special attendance at Mosque and then start the three days of Eid al Fitr. Lots of good, fresh food. Typically, they will wear new clothes and spend the three days visiting family and friends. It also means the hospital will only be operating with skeleton crew, so our mentoring team is not needed. We will resume with a full day's schedule after Eid.
The Muslim year is about 12 days shorter than the Gregorian year that we use, so Ramadan moves up in the calendar each year. Since the fasting is during daylight, Ramadan in early summer(about 6 years from now) will be especially hard.
2 comments:
Enjoy the feast.
I forget if you are in the city or just outside of it. Can you hear the call to Friday prayers?
We are about 10 klicks south of Herat. If I am outside, I can hear the call to prayer at the adjacent Afghan Army base.
Post a Comment