Ramadan , one of the sacred months in the Islamic calendar for Muslims, starts on the evening of March 10 and continues through April 9 this year. During this period, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, breaking their fast at the call of Magrib, the fourth prayer. Muslims refrain from eating or drinking anything during the fasting day. There are, however, some exceptions. These include women who are pregnant, youngsters who are not yet at puberty, travelers, and those who are menstruating.
Getting ready for Ramadan, whether it’s preparing frozen food, cleaning the house from top to bottom or even cleansing the soul itself are all pretty relevant. Sophomore student, Jannat Chowdhury, said that she plans on getting her sleep schedule sorted in order to prepare for suhoor, the time one gets up before sunrise to eat breakfast and pray and get a good night’s rest.
Breaking your fast with nutritious food that will stay in your stomach that lasts a long time is also important. Freshman student Salman Chowdhury, says that he chooses to break his fast with Kisuri, a lentil and rice savory, porridge, bengali dish, while Jannat says that she likes to break her fast with a burger or anything that implements protein.
When asked whether Ramadan should be taught about in school, Jannat and Salman both said yes. Salman says that the subject should be taught because “..if we talk about religion, you may as well bring it up.” Jannat adds that “students should be taught about it in school so people understand why we do it.”
Ramadan is also a time where Muslims give up bad habits and obtain good, if not, better habits to get closer to Islam. Jannat says that some things that she wants to leave behind are “..procrastinating, bad diets, losing patience fast and even prioritizing school and my family.” Salman adds that not only does he want to read more quran but also getting negative habits out of his brother.
One of our history teachers, Stephanie De Cicco, participated in the fasting custom a few years ago in response to her students’ desire to observe Ramadan together. She did it for a week but has said that it was not easy as she made sure to drink lots of water before sunrise because as a teacher she talks a lot.
“By the end of the afternoon, I started to get very tired,’’ she said. “ “Being able to experience what my students felt throughout the month both physically and spiritually” gave her a better understanding of the process.
She says that in her role as a history teacher, she is respectful of all cultures and is delighted to have a chance to participate in their customs. Would she try fasting again? “Yes, absolutely,’’ she said.
