What the Hubub of Ramadan is really about...from a westerner

What the hubbub of Ramadan is truly about…
As I stood in the road today, once again attempting to flag down a ride home, a white-ish, somewhat old Land Rover approached from the direction of my gaze. Nothing stuck out about the vehical in the Iftar rush of drivers home, but as it approached me, it slowed down and the woman in the passenger seat extender her hand. What she extended in her hand left me at first confused, and then flattered. She had handed, roughly, a five-pound plastic sack of freshly butchered lamb. I was taken aback, but responded with a traditional hand over my heart and warm shokran. Then as the couple had appeared, they drove off down the road, leaving me standing with a translucent bag of raw meat.
This sort of behavior is typical of Ramadan in Islamic areas. To give food to those less fortunate, apparently I looked the part, extra money to charity, or even a Ramadan lamp is the cultural moor. It is apparent when one walks the street of Cairo, as the sun begins its final decent to the desert in the west, everywhere one looks there are tables being set, laden with food, almost burdened, with food and with drink. Standing as oases in the wasteland of asphalt for those of the community, or one who just passes by, to come and eat and join in community. It is truly a touching matter to bear witness, and has no comparison in our cultures of the west.
With this customary charity and piousness through charity, comes also the daylight fasting through out the month. From when the sun rises until one can see the first two stars in the twilight sky, there is no food, no water or otherwise, and no smoking. When this routine fast is broken, that is Iftar. Now I’m not sure which of the three parts of the fast weigh heaviest on the Caraneese’ mind, but the unison of the orchestra of lighters may give one a clue.
I was invited to Iftar at Muhanad’s (yes his name is spelt that way) house. His mother had cooked up some amazing food, and I got to spend time with Muhanad, his family, and an assorted collection of foreigners. (Sudan, Brit, American etc…) Also there are Ramadan lanterns. These gaudy gold plastic things are everywhere. Apparently the story behind them is that way back when women did not go out at night, especially not alone. However most activity takes place at night during Ramadan and it becomes essential. So some king somewhere decreed that a boy be assigned with a lantern to walk in front of groups of women at night during Ramadan as a means to tell everyone that they were approaching and to give them some security. Since then the tradition has taken off and now, most houses, and at the least every small neighborhood community has a Ramadan lantern of some sort. Whether it be small, or six feet tall like some that I have seen.
Early in my stay here I happened to wander down a street and come across a score of people attempting to hang the community lantern over a street cross-section. It was rather amusing to see kids running around, men yelling- though not angrily- attempting to direct the people standing on their balconies to hoist this monstrosity into the air and then get it some what centered.
This whole celebration, and the cultural moores that surround it are really something beautiful. It is a time of increased piety, prayer, community awareness, and above all care for those who are less fortunate. It is a means to set an example for one month of the year, for what the rest of the year should look like. Whether it does or does not one will just have to wait and see.
~Adam