Today is the first day (2016.06.06) of Ramadan. In non-Muslim people minds’ pop-up just one thing, for 30 days Muslim cannot eat or drink during the day. Of course, Ramadan means much more, but I will not go into religion as I am not competent. I will write a little about how it looks like because Ramadan changes the rhythm of the day.
The first thing that has attracted my attention in the morning when I went outside, was a very small traffic. No people on a street, almost no cars, it felt like a Sunday morning.
The second, the guards in a front of the building did not smoke and drink water. In Kuwait, during the Ramadan, not only eating and drinking is prohibited but also smoking or chewing gum. What’s more, your religion does not matter. Everybody has to obey Ramadan law otherwise, you will be jailed. Although there are few exceptions. Kids under 10 do not have to follow the rules. Pregnant women or during the period, chronically ill. Also, if you are Christian or Hindu you can eat and drink whatever you want at home, but not in public. The idea behind this is simple, do not annoy others, who cannot eat or drink.
So, if you work in Kuwait, you cannot smoke, drink or eat during the working hours. Forget about that – the canteen is closed. But there are some positives. Most of the people work just 6 hours a day instead of 8 or 9. So like my husband, he left to work at 6 am and will be done at 12. The rest of the day we can spend together. I just wonder if he is happy about this. Maybe he would prefer his normal hours from 8 till 5, umm…. I do not think so.
Most of the Muslim stay long up during the night and wake up late. Therefore, most of the businesses start like 10 or even later. Restaurants open in the afternoon only for take outs, until the sun sets. Then the city will come alive. There be people on the streets, in the restaurants, sitting, eating, drinking, they will stay late and enjoy their life.
Happy Ramadan
