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The holy month of Ramzan has began. Muslims world wide are fasting, spending time with their households and devoting themselves to prayer and worship. However for us, the Muslims of Gaza, this holy month is filled with heartbreak and grief.
For greater than 5 months now, we have now endured massacres, illness, starvation and thirst by the hands of the Israeli army. Regardless of the start of Ramadan, its violence and cruelty has neither stopped nor diminished.
As many people wrestle to place meals on the desk to interrupt the quick or discover a secure place to wish, recollections of previous Ramadans hold us heat. Amidst the rumble of Israeli drones and the sound of explosions, I shut my eyes and keep in mind the glory of Ramadan in Gaza.
Preparations for the holy month at all times began early. Weeks earlier than this, folks would exit searching for all of the wants of Ramadan.
A favourite place to go to can be the Previous Metropolis and its conventional market, Al-Zawiya. There, all the normal Ramadan meals might be discovered: bitter pickles, the best dates, scrumptious olives, spices that fill the air with their aroma, thyme, dried apricot paste for making the Qamar al-Din drink, dried fruits and Among the many varied kinds of juice, carob is the most well-liked.
Buying new garments may also be vital. Prayer robes will probably be a preferred selection, as will fancy attire for ladies and dressy fits for boys.
Kids would pull dad and mom' fingers and ask them to purchase one of many colourful lanterns on show that learn “Hallou ya Hallou, Ramadan Kareem ya Hallou” (“Pricey, pricey, Ramadan Kareem, pricey”). .
The streets will probably be full of individuals, decorations will probably be put up, cheerful Ramzan songs will probably be performed. The environment of anticipation will probably be like no different.
Then on the eve of the primary day of Ramadan, Gaza's neighborhoods will probably be full of the sounds of Taraweeh prayers. Kids stayed out until late, enjoying within the streets, holding lanterns, chanting, singing and setting off fireworks to mark the start of the holy month.
Households would come collectively to share the Al-Suhur meal and provide Al-Fajr prayers. Then some folks will take a nap, others will exit to high school and work. By afternoon everybody will return dwelling and it will likely be time to learn the Holy Quran. Kids will learn and memorize verses at dwelling or in mosques. Dad and mom and grandparents instructed tales of the prophets to youngsters and grandchildren.
Then it was time to arrange meals for Iftar. An hour earlier than sundown, all the neighborhood can be full of the scrumptious odor of varied meals objects. The kitchen of each home can be full of individuals working laborious: one can be making makluba (a meat dish with rice and greens), one other – musakhan (a rooster dish), and one other – mulukhiya (jute soup).
In the meantime, a neighbor might come and produce a plate filled with meals that his household has simply ready; In fact, he wouldn’t be allowed to go dwelling empty-handed.
As sundown approached, the Iftar desk can be set and everybody would sit down. Quickly the sound of breaking the quick will begin coming from the mosques together with the tune of Takbirat. Everybody will share scrumptious meals, fortunately speak and snort.
After iftar, males, ladies and kids would go collectively to mosques to recite taraweeh, the sound of the Holy Quran and prayers would unfold to each a part of Gaza. Then will come the happiest time of the day for kids, when moms will put together Qatayaf, a preferred candy made solely through the holy month.
As soon as Qatayaf is over, households go to one another or collect in entrance of the TV to look at their favourite Ramadan sequence.
For the folks of Gaza, Ramadan is really essentially the most particular time of the 12 months. Gaza is essentially the most lovely place on earth throughout Ramadan.
However on this holy month we can’t have a good time peacefully and benefit from the puja. Colourful lights and lanterns and chants and songs have been changed by the flash and sound of exploding Israeli bombs. The joyful noise of youngsters enjoying within the streets outdoors has been changed by the screams of individuals buried below the particles after one more Israeli bombardment. Localities vigorous have become cemeteries. There aren’t any crowds of individuals in mosques as a result of they’ve all been destroyed. The streets will not be crowded with folks, as they’re all coated with particles. Folks quick after Iftar as a result of they don’t have meals or water.
Households collect to not greet one another and have a good time, however to mourn collectively for the useless. Because the holy month of Ramzan begins, we’re saying goodbye to the martyrs one after one other.
The ache is made worse by the belief that the world has deserted the Palestinian folks, permitting Israel to proceed its genocide through the Muslim holy month.
The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially replicate the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.