Ramadan kareem

The moon is sighted and the holy month begins.

With all the excitement and preparation over the past few weeks for Ramadan, with tents being put up in hotels and malls, and people starting to plan iftars and suhours, one gets a sense of what muslims living outside the Islamic world miss out on.

The best way to describe it is like a more spiritual Christmas season (since Lent, a closer equivalent, is not generally observed in the West). There's the same sense of festivity, family and peace on earth, with glittering decorations and delicious gifts on display, but with far less commercialism and general tackiness.

Ramadan preserves a deeply spiritual nature that Christmas has somewhat lost, perhaps due to its universalisation. Everyone gets public holidays at Christmas, and ends up buying presents and getting invited to Christmas parties, regardless of whether they are Christians or even believers.

Muslims do share Ramadan with non-muslims: they invite them to iftars, and are always very willing to explain customs and traditions. But it remains a predominantly religious festival, with prayers, fasting, mosque, charity and family the most important elements. The entire region shifts into a different gear for Ramadan, something that is hard to comprehend unless you live in the Middle East, or visit during the holy month. The fact that religion and traditions are prioritised above the thrust and pace of commerce is at first startling, and then quite moving.

The world doesn't end just because people decide to put spiritual matters first for a few weeks. In fact the world is probably a lot better for it.