Ramazan across the world

The month of Ramazan is a test of self-control and an opportunity to make stronger the relationship with GOD. Fasting assists the building of good personality traits; therefore, it is much more than abstention from eating and drinking.
The month of Ramazan is of great significance for over one billion Muslims all around the world. They are joyful and highly excited about it. With the spirit of charity and compassion at the top, they celebrate Ramazan with great zeal and zest. For example, in Egypt, people light up lantern in houses and streets, to welcome the Ramazan. Egyptian children especially come out in the street with their lanterns and sing Arabic rhymes. Indonesian youth, students and women arrange rallies welcoming the Ramazan in a unique way.
IN regions where Muslims are in majority, Ramazan is a religious social event. Families invite their relatives, neighbours, friends and colleagues for Iftar dinner. They meet each other five times a day in mosques especially at Isha and travih prayers. In Arab countries, guests welcomed for dinner, and people visit with friends and neighbours until the early morning. In United Arab Emirate, the hours are spent playing cards, eating sweets, drinking tea, and smoking an argila, or hookah, filled with tobacco. Traditionally, people purchase grocery items ahead of Ramazan to prepare special foods for sehri and Iftar. Newspapers print regularly advices about safe ways of eating on sehri and Iftar while electronic media telecast programs and shows related to foods during the whole month.
In major cities of Indonesia there is also a tradition called buka bersama, which means breaking the fast together with relatives, friends or colleagues at restaurants or cafes that have special promotional offers during the holy month. Mawaed Al-Rahman is a unique tradition of Egypt, which is the distribution of foodstuff for needy people and families. Richer people, big restaurants and hotels arrange charity tables offering different types of delicious foods and drinks for passers-by. Riches provides Iftar meals for friends and relatives, co-workers and civil servants with whom they work, salesmen, those staying in old people's homes and homes for the poor, etc.
Not only the month is an occasion of spiritual welfare, it brings with it a special culinary culture. Unique, special and exclusive recipes of every region reflect the extensiveness of culinary tradition of Islamic World. Traditionally, Muslims across the world give preference breaking the fast with dates or olives following the Sunnah of the holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). No Iftar menu is complete without dates. Breaking the fast with dates or olives is given preference. Trendy cookies filled with mashed dates are also popular among fasters.
In South East Asia Muslims celebrated Ramazan with religious enthusiasm and fervor. As soon as Ramazan moon sighted sweet shop owners, bakers set big woke, and vessels outside their shops for cooking Khajla and pheni (desi cereals). During Ramazan, renowned restaurants and hotels announce special deals and packages of Iftar-dinner and Sehri meal. This trend is especially popular among youth.
During Ramazan, unlike the other months of the year, meat consume in relatively large quantities. In many houses, leftover meat curry of dinner eaten with Roti or Parathas on Sehri meal. While chicken samosa, beef and mutton patties and shami kebabs are popular foods of Ramazan. In Middle East, and North Africa camel meat is of great importance and especially imported from Somalia during the month of Ramazan.
In Arab Countries Ramazan menu is incomplete without stuffed roasted lamb legs, lentil soup, Pita bread and labaneh (strained yoghurt).Every Muslim prefers to break the fast with dates following the sunnah of the holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). In Middle East countries, there is a tradition of breaking the fast with dates and water, followed by soup and juice.
An author and writer May S. Bsisu wrote in her book, The Arab Table, "The cooking liquid and the long, slow roasting make it incredibly moist and tender, with an almost buttery flavour (roasted lamb)." For a traditional Ramazan meal, pair the lamb with dishes such as hummus, cucumber and yogurt salad, and mujaddarah (rice wand lentils with caramelised onions).
Arabs like to eat simple semolina pistachio layer cake for sehri. The cake consists of two layers of a sweet pistachio-semolina mixture, separated by a creamy rose and orange scented filling and topped with fried nuts. In the early 1900s, Ali Bey, who was also the minister of Bal?khane, described in detail the old Iftar meals in his book titled "Istanbul Life in the 13th Century after the Flight."
They gave great importance to the arrangement of the foods on the trays. The various condiments such as preserves, cheeses, caviar, olives, sucuk and past?rma were put on small plates and placed at the center of the sini. Various seasonal fruits and salads were arranged in an orderly manner around the edge of the tray, in special plates for this purpose. The table was completed with cups of holy zamzam water from Mekkah and dates from Medina. On small dishes were lemons, cut in half and tied in tulle with coloured silk thread or ribbons so that the seeds would not fall into the food; but also as an added decoration to the table.
From centuries, Egypt is famous for its festivals, food and cultural activities. There most popular dish of Ramazan is Katayif. These are similar to pancakes that are cooked on one side only then filled with ground walnuts mixed with cinnamon and sugar, or with sweetened, white goat cheese. The filled pancakes are then baked or fried and served with syrup or honey. Other desserts include Muhalabiyeh, a pudding made of milk flavoured with Arabic gum, and Qamar Eddeen, a pudding made from apricot paste. Apricot juice is a refreshing traditional Ramazan drink, which is made from dried apricot paste.
Muslims in Sri Lanka comprise 90% of total population. They welcome the month with great zeal and zest. Typical sehri meal is rice and curry while for Iftar they usually take dried dates and a soup, Kangi, made from rice.
In Morocco Iftar is a time of revitalise energy. Therefore, Iftar menu constitutes milk, juices, dates, pastries, fried fish and Ramazan exclusive item Harira. Lentil and meat cooked and mashed together for making of this delicious energy booster dish. Prior to Ramazan women, prepare special Ramazan sweets "sellou" and "chebekia" at home.
In the month of Ramazan British Muslims fast for 17 hours daily because of long daylight. Preparation for Ramazan starts weeks before fasting. They like treating Iftar with the variety of fried foodstuff and colourful dips and ketchups. Family members and friends gather to participate in the process of stuffed samosa, crescent shaped filled samosa, wonton and marinated chicken pieces etc. some Women offer paid services for making of ready to cook fried stuffs. Here fast usually breaks with water and fruits chunks with dates as a main item. After Magrib prayers, family members gather again to enjoy fresh and crispy fried foods.
In Turkey, Throughout the Ramazan people consume special pide which is flat wheat flour round bread topped with sesame seeds. People have passion for soup, which sold in shops and can be prepared at home. In turkey Iftar table garnish with soup, stuffed leaves, vegetables prepared in olive oil, and different kinds of rice (pilav). The rich tradition of Ramazan make it a high profile religious events for Muslims across the world.