Ramadan
By: Luke Cabell
Bazeen
This is my friend who I stayed with in Sudan. He is 17 years old and lives in Khartoum, Sudan's capital. He lives at home with his parents, grandmother, and younger sister. He has a pet camel named Amir which he rides a lot. He is 5'9" and is pretty thin. He is very religious and prays often. Bazeen is a Sunni Muslim.
Bazeen's House
Bazeen lives in a gottia. A gottia has a single room with round mud walls and a conical straw roof.
Capital City
Over 5 million people live in Khartoum. The climate is extremely arid for most of the year with about nine months where average rainfall is less than 5mm.
Decorations
Lights are strung up in public squares, and across city streets, to add to the festivities of the month. Lanterns have become symbolic decorations welcoming the month of Ramadan.
Description of Ramadan
During Ramadan, the Muslim community fasts, abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset. We celebrated Ramadan by following these guidelines. It is a very tedious holiday that follows a strenuous set of rules. Muslims break their fast after sunset with an evening meal called Iftar, where a date is the first thing eaten followed by a traditional meal
Celebration details
Ramadan is celebrated because muslims believe that Allah revealed the first few verses of the koran, the holy book of islam, during that month. During Laylat al-Qadr, which occurs during the final ten days of Ramadan, Muslims believe that, God blesses everyone, forgives all sins, grants all prayers, and angels come down to earth. In some circumstances, failure to coincide with Ramadan traditions is considered a crime and punishable by law.
Time of Celebration
Ramadan is the ninth month of the islamic calendar. It is celebrated for the one month period. And during, Laylat al-Qadr muslims worship longer and more diligently and more often for the final ten days.
Comparisson to American holiday
Ramadan mostly resembles Lent because it requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication.