Is Ramadan Still Ramadan If You Treat It Like Christmas?

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Is Ramadan Still Ramadan If You Treat It Like Christmas?
BY ZEHRA KAMANI

PHOTO © ARIEF.NURHIDAYANTO/TWENTY20

APR 4, 2022
“Not even water?” whispered my curious colleague.

“Not even water,” replied the Muslim about to embark upon a month-long spiritual journey of fasting.

It’s the most festive time of the year in the Islamic calendar, and although I approach Ramadan with a little bit of hesitancy every year, I’m making it a point to put extra effort into making it the “most wonderful time of the year” for my family.

Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and aside from fasting from sunrise to sunset, Muslims celebrate it as the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad.

It’s a big deal for obvious physical reasons. But there are more nuanced, subtle reasons too.

It’s a month that inspires heightened self-awareness and a renewed commitment to do and be better through generosity, patience and forgiveness.

As a child, I remember the Ramadan spirit at home, inspired by the scent of fried samosas wafting through the kitchen, the table being set with milky dates and our shalwar kameez being ironed each night as we got ready to attend the mosque.

I remember the joy of meeting all of my friends at mosque every day for 30 days (but hopefully only 29 for one less day of fasting, depending on the sighting of the new moon), laughing through classes and prayers together, and sharing homemade treats with them.

It was the basis of some of my strongest and longest lasting friendships.

As a child, I also remember wondering why all the joy and festivity that I experienced was linked solely to the mosque.

Ramadan, But Different?
I remember looking at Christmas with fondness and yearning for that same level of festive cheer within my own celebrations. I absolutely love everything about the holiday season, from the Christmas lights decorating houses and storefronts, to the wreaths and bows hanging on doors, to the trees with baubles glistening in windows.

I remember making a Christmas tree craft from a potted plant as a kid at school. When I brought my decorated plant home, I was so excited to finally have the chance to get presents on Christmas Day because I had a tree of my own.

You could say I had a rude awakening the next morning.

As we grew older, my friends and I, like many other young Muslims, began to deck our own halls by adapting some common Christmas traditions into our Ramadan and Eid celebrations, like holding secret Santa-esque Eid gift exchanges.

It must have been about five years ago that my friends and I stood in a long line outside on a cold winter morning for the opening of the Salaam shop, a Mississauga store that brought together an array of spiritually and culturally inspired Islamic gift items made by various local small businesses under one roof.

The Salaam Shop was among the first of its kind and possibly paved the path for a growing Muslim market targeting the young, trendy Canadian Muslim aspiring for that delicate balance between faith and fun, a merging of cultures, and the creation of a new identity.

Now, five years later, Ramadan and Eid markets have popped up all across the Greater Toronto Area.

I’ve had the chance to attend markets hosted by large shopping centres, including Square One and Scarborough Town Centre. I’ve seen Eid trees (a spin-off of the Christmas tree in the shape of a crescent moon), Ramadan advent calendars, crescent-shaped wreaths, gingerbread mosques and lantern centrepieces for the dining table.

I’ve browsed through a wide array of cultural and spiritual books like It’s Ramadan, Curious George!, personalized Eid puzzles and brightly coloured prayer mats for kids that make fun gifts to celebrate the month and learn about its significance.

Seeing all the creative products that we can add to our home and gift-giving collection has made the anticipation of a month-long journey of fasting ahead much more exciting — not only for myself, but hopefully, for my daughter too.

Ramadan, 2022
This year, the market inspired me to make a DIY Ramadan wreath for our door, made with florals, leaves, and a crescent moon and star.

I bought a string of stars, moons and lanterns for my daughter to paint and hang on our mantel.

I have our lights ready to put up around the house.

I have a few shalwar kameez for my daughter that I plan to iron for the nights that we plan to go to the mosque.

And I bought an Arabic vocabulary book that I plan to read to her with words from the Qur'an and accompanying pictures, like fig, olive and sheep.

I want to connect old traditions with new ones for my family.

I did not always agree with borrowing traditions from other festivities.

I’ll admit that I still raise my eyebrows at the concept of the Eid tree. But who knows, maybe my daughter will insist on having one in the home when she’s old enough to see the trends that others are adopting.

And as our Eid shopping list grows, we may dedicate a decorated corner for all our gifts for family and friends, wrapped in Eid-themed paper and ribbons.

While I choose not to embrace all new trends (because God knows the options are endless, and lest Ramadan be on its way to becoming another commercialized holiday), I am beginning to understand why these new trends can be so appealing, and even helpful.

A Case For A Reimagined Ramadan
These markets and the products they have to offer are part of a communal celebration in and of themselves. And there are benefits to communal celebrations.

I can see how kids (and adults) can benefit from tangible and holistic experiences that connect with their faith, whether it is from the whispers of prayers and scents of oud to the flashing lights and messy crafts, all pointing to a home submerged whole-heartedly in Ramadan.

I am beginning to understand the benefits of cross-cultural traditions.

I believe a merging of cultures is an inevitable part of living in a multicultural society.

With new generations come new identities and new traditions. While these new traditions are sometimes faced with reluctance, perhaps this is born out of fear … the fear of effacing old identities.

My aim has always been to water and strengthen the roots of my faith. If new traditions can augment my own and my daughter’s commitment to her faith as she forges her own identity as a second-generation Muslim Canadian, then I think those are traditions worth embracing.

So, don’t mind me if you see my home strewn with glue gun strings, lantern lights, and half-painted moons with the Qur'an playing on YouTube in the background.

It’s just beginning to look a lot like Ramadan around here.