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zarbakht-bilal · 5 years ago

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Eid Mubarak Beautiful Souls ❤

It doesn’t matter who you are, where are you from, which god do you worship, and which religion you believe in, “Eid” is a Muslim festival that literally means “Celebration.” Happy Celebrations are for everyone no matter how much this tiny notion of diversity takes us apart. Eid day always brings the most beautiful morning where the whole house is filled with aromas of delicious delicacies, the fragrance of roses and incense candles, along with sparkling decorations of the Big Day. As you guys are now a family of mine, there is no way that I forget about sharing all the details with you guys. Here is a glimpse of what Eid day looks like.

Getting Ready for the big day:

Waking up inside the bathroom has been my favorite childhood memory where my mum used to drag me into the shower. Being cleaned up, renewed, and dolled up in the new clothes that Muslims usually buy a night before the Eid or even a month before as a pre-celebration. Mostly men and women wear fancy or formal wears in the morning, where young girls do a lot of photography to flaunt their new clothes on Instagram.

Eid Prayers and the Charity:

The first and compulsory custom of Eid day is that all the men leave for mosques, to offer Eid prayers and thank God for all the blessings. After the Eid prayers, all the men give charity to the poor, also commonly known as ‘Fitrana‘ or ‘Zakat‘, which is the compulsory charity paid by every Muslim at the end of Ramadan. It is a way for Muslims to give thanks that they were able to complete the month of fasting.

Start the day with Sweet Delicacies:

While men are out for the prayers, women at home prepare delicious delicacies and puddings. Each Muslim country has a different delicacy, yet the vermicelli pudding remains constant throughout the globe. When men come back after the prayers, all the family relish the pudding.

Vermicelli pudding is made by cooking the milk until it becomes thick and creamy. After which we add vermicelli in it and cook until the vermicelli becomes soft. The pudding is then garnished with pistachios, almonds, coconut, berries and whatever the creator of the dish likes to sprinkle on the top.

Every region has a different style of making this dish and each style is unique and divine. Beside vermicelli pudding, different other sweets like Shahi Tukray, Baklava, Phirni, Sheer Khurma, Lab-e-Sheereen, Kulfi-Falooda, Rass Malaai, and Jalebi also decorate many tables on the morning of Eid.

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Eidi or Eid Presents:

Just like Christmas presents, elderly or earning Muslim adults give Eidi (money) or Eid gifts to the children or the non-earning adults. Children’s happy faces sparkle up the atmosphere and they rush to the nearest market to buy sweets and toys. Eid is all about spreading happiness on each and every face, be it rich or poor. The best part of Eid is that not only rich are able to celebrate, but the poor are also equally indulged in the celebrations because of too much charity that is given to them in this Holy month of Ramadan. Elder members of the family often ask the children to do some task or arrand in order to get the eidi present. Some children play games and enjoy winning their present as a sweet consequence.

Preparing Presents and Cards for the Family and Friends:

Girls make beautiful cards, wrap up elegant presents for the upcoming cousins and friends at night or in the afternoon. The basic purpose of exchange of gifts and celebratory cards is the extraction of utmost happiness out of this Holy day.

Festive Home Decor:

Homes are whitewashed a month before Eid, curtains are changed, furniture polished and carpets dry cleaned as an advance Eid preparation. Decorated with wall hangings, tassels, rainbow buntings, shimmering lanterns, ribbons and banners, homes give a perfectly positive aura.

Fairy lights are my favorite decoration and there is no way I can forget buying a whole big bunch of these lights a month before Eid, because Aesthetic AF!

Family Gatherings and the Mighty Feasts:

Eid day means a constant arrival and departure of the guests throughout the day. Exchanging festive hugs, affectionate handshakes, and merry kisses, women prepare a mighty feast for the whole family that has gathered over a place or some restaurant. Most of the table is embellished with various drinks and sherbets, while the curries mostly consist of dishes made up from mutton, beef, and chicken. Puddings or desserts are served at the end of the feast to terminate the beautiful day and this is how the whole three days are spent happily by the whole Muslim community.

Enjoy your day everyone!

Adios,

xoxo

What Eid Celebrations look like. Eid Mubarak Beautiful Souls ❤ It doesn't matter who you are, where are you from, which god do you worship, and which religion you believe in, "Eid" is a Muslim festival that literally means "Celebration." Happy Celebrations are for everyone no matter how much this tiny notion of diversity takes us apart.

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atravellingfoodie · 6 years ago

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My memories of Cape Malay Ramadhan traditions in Cape Town are of joyous family time, where families reconnect, worship and eat together. A time when the rat race was left behind and every family member ensured that they were at home before sunset.

If you have never heard of Ramadhan then this article on What is Ramadhan and why do Muslims fast? may be useful. If you struggle to cope with the demands of work and family life during Ramadhan then these Tips for a successful Ramadhan may be useful.

The month of Ramadhan is about fasting (sawm) and the willing abstinence from food, drink, bad words and deeds and carnal pleasures between dawn and sunset. However, many of our memories of our Ramadhan traditions and the times we spent together are at the dining table during suhur and iftar.

Suhur was the quiet time before dawn when we could mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Iftar was the noisy time after sunset when everyone eats and families caught up with each other about how their day went.

My late father always went to one of the three neighbourhood mosques at the time for breaking the fast. His Ramadhan tradition was to break his fast at the mosque every evening with other fasting worshippers from the neighbourhood. Our duty was to make sure had a platter full of tasty treats for the children who were fasting and coming to mosque for iftar. They would then perform the early evening maghrib prayer in congregation.

After my father passed away our Ramadhan traditions and routine changed somewhat and our household was much more subdued. My mother’s sisters Mummy Rachel, Aunty Josie and her husband Uncle Mylie made sure that we had company every night during that first Ramadhan, and every year until both the sisters passed. Uncle Mylie drove through rain and sunshine so that my aunts could be with us at a time when we felt my father’s loss more than any other.

Ramadhan traditions for Suhur

Growing up it felt like torture in the early hours of the morning when my mother came to wake us, during the best part of sleep, to sit at the table and eat and drink in anticipation of the day of fasting. Thereafter we would stumble to the bathroom to make ablutions and await the call for prayer.

When we were children my mum often made toasted sandwiches with chicken mayonnaise or cheese filling for us. If there were any leftovers from the previous night’s dinner she used that, or fried sausages and scrambled eggs with caramelized onions that my dad loved.

During the latter weeks of Ramadhan when everyone started to feel the effects of dehydration and energy loss, we would occasionally oversleep and rise with just enough time to take a sip of water. Those were the days when we would feel the anguish of physical thirst and hunger the most.

As an adult I found that I fast with a clearer mind and more alertness if I consume a light suhur. My favorite suhur items for the first week of Ramadhan is cooked maize meal (polenta) or Mieliepap porridge because I don’t feel hungry as quickly by the afternoon. Other suhur options include low carb fruit smoothies or egg dishes with bread.

From the second or third week I find eating food early in the morning too much to bear and suffice with a few dates and many glasses of water. I force myself to eat something and drink water because Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) advised that there is blessing in doing so.

Ramadhan Foods to eat at Suhur

Mieliepap

Overnight Dairy Free Muesli and Oats

Greek yogurt with homemade granola

Shakshuka poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce

Almond coconut bread

Almond and coconut breakfast pancakes

Low Carb Healthy Berry smoothie

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Dairy free Overnight oats

Greek yogurt and granola breakfast bowl

Shakshuka

Almond coconut bread

Almond coconut breakfast pancakes

Low carb berry smoothie

Ramadhan traditions for Iftar

If the Ramadhan Lantern, the Fanous Ramadhan, is the symbol of Ramadhan in the Middle East, then the symbol of Ramadhan in Cape Town should be a child carrying a covered side plate with iftar snacks. This custom ensured that everyone had something to break their fast with during Ramadhan and we shared with our neighbours whether they had anything to reciprocate or not.

From the age of about five I was visiting our immediate neighbours before iftar with small plates of sweet or savory snacks freshly made by my late mother. This has always been my favorite Ramadhan tradition and I would love to know where else in the world it is done. It is the one thing I miss more than any during Ramadhan in Dubai because it is such an important part of the Ramadhan tradition of sharing and charity in the Cape Malay community.

Even now you can find children in neighborhoods with sizable muslim populations going from neighbor to neighbour, carrying their precious iftar cargo every night. It exemplifies the spirit of sharing, caring and charity during Ramadhan, that we share what we have with our neighbours.

Every night the kids gather round the dining table for iftar waiting to hear the call to Magrib prayer ring out from the mosques nearby, so that they can break their fast with dates, a samosa or a daltjie. Samoosas and daltjies are a Ramadhan tradition and a staple on every iftar table. Every family has their own recipe and nearly every member of the household will eat one or more with soup or boeber. I have recently heard the samosa referred to as ‘The Most Dangerous triangle in the Cape Flats’ and ‘The Only Love Triangles you need’.

There were some items that my Aunty Gadija always made during Ramadhan like Gulab Jambo (the South African version of Gulab Jamun), Basboosa that she learnt from her mother in law and kriminatjies (a fried pastry puff with spicy minced meat filling). I’ve never acquired the taste for any other versions of these treats and every Ramadhan crave her Gulab Jambo or Basboosa.

When I was a child I loved to see all the small plates with the snacks that our neighbours sent over because Aunty Fadeela and Aunty Zaida were newly married and made something different every night. My nephews are exactly the same during iftar at their maternal grandmother’s house. During last Ramadhan the youngest one Sulaiman asked me on my first night back home whether he could come stay over at our house during Ramadhan. Then he remembered he would be missing out on the family iftar every night, and decided he would rather come after Eid.

Ramadhan Foods to eat at Iftar

Cape Malay pancakes (crepes) with sweet coconut flavored with cinnamon and cardamom;

South African Flapjacks

Sweetcorn and polenta fritters;

Daltjies spinach and corn fritters (made with chickpea flour, spinach and spices etc);

Cardamom bollas with saffron syrup

Falooda milkshake

Creamy Cape Malay boeber a hot milky beverage thickened with vermicelli and sago.

Red Lentil Soup

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Pancakes

Daltjies

Boeber

Falooda milkshake

Mushroom soup

Red Lentil soup

Many families proceed to the mosque for Taraweeh prayers, the optional night prayers during Ramadhan. It is beneficial to eat less at iftar so that you do not feel tired, sluggish or overburdened with food when performing the prayers. Very often they will have a light dinner after returning home from the night prayers.

It is recommended to perform Tahajjud prayers during the last third of the night, especially during Ramadhan. This is sometimes difficult for working adults, school goers and students who will already be having reduced sleeping hours. At least we can do it on the weekends to obtain the reward during Ramadhan.

Boeber night

Another Ramadhan tradition of the Cape Malays is Boeber night (Boeber aand). We commemorate the 15th night of Ramadhan or the half way mark, by having boeber and sending to our neighbours for iftar. In our home every night was Boeber aand because my mother always made it from the start of Ramadhan along with the soup that my dad loved.

This Boeber Night video is a funny yet accurate account of how much we love boeber.

When Eid beckons

During the last ten days and nights of Ramadhan we become less occupied with the restrictions placed upon us by fasting and even more focussed on worship. By this time the headaches have stopped, fasting breath has kicked in and our appetites have decreased significantly.

Allah tells us in Surah Al-Qadr 97:3, that ‘The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months’. Lailatul Qadr or the Night of Power is an odd numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadhan, for which Allah caused knowledge of the exact night to be forgotten.

We strive even harder in worship during this time reciting Quran, doing good deeds, making dua and repenting for our sins in hope and faith that they will be forgiven. The supplication taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) to be made on the night of Laitul Qadr is:

“Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibb al-‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni

(O Allah, You are All-Forgiving and You love forgiveness so forgive me).”

While trying to improve our worship we still have to go about our daily lives, including preparing for the festival of Eid Al Fitr. The Eid is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawaal, and is declared after sighting the new moon at sunset after the last day of fasting in Ramadhan.

In preparation for Eid, Cape Malay households get a thorough spring cleaning during the last week of Ramadhan. New curtains and carpets may be installed and the cooks and bakers are busy for days preparing the treats that will be served to guests on the days of Eid. With the waning appetites for food comes simpler and less elaborate iftar meals.

For children of fasting age, the end of Ramadhan is a time for celebration if they have fasted during the month. The achievement and accomplishment of having completed one day or thirty is accompanied by special gifts from family and friends.

If you are fasting during this auspicious month please accept my sincere wishes for a Ramadhan Mubarak (Blessed Ramadhan) and Ramadan Kareem (Generous Ramadhan).

Do you have any Ramadhan traditions? Please share in the comments below.

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Cape Malay Ramadhan traditions My memories of Cape Malay Ramadhan traditions in Cape Town are of joyous family time, where families reconnect, worship and eat together.

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