This Ramadan will be different than any Ramadan anyone has experienced. Ramadan is known for its mercy and peace but in the Egyptian culture its also known for its noisy gatherings, crowded restaurants with long waiting lists, Arabian colorful outfits and late curfews. However all these things are cancelled this Ramadan. While we’re all used to spending some days of this holy month at home all day with our family, this ramadan this will be what we’ll do all month. It will strictly be spent at our homes with our family members all day. There wont be the luxury of having iftar or sehour at a fancy restaurant or a rooftop lounge. We expect that the delivery orders will also be limited since most parents are afraid from any contact with the outer world.
We think this will affect people in many aspects of life. Firstly, most teens and children will be asked to give up their gatherings with their friends and late night outings. The moms will be requested to cook food for more family members now and for all 30 days of the month. Even restaurant owners will suffer not gaining the benefit of the extra profit they make each ramadan.
-Lama Sewidan
Through the interviews that I had with my family and friends about Ramadan during COVID-19 and how they will be affected by this crisis I concluded several things. Generally my family and friends said that this Ramadan will be completely different in terms terms of its vibes. They all mentioned and agreed about they no one will be invited to someone’s house to have ifttar. They also mentioned that prayer rituals probably wont be held in mosques to prevent the spread of the Virus, especially Tarawih prayer which is something most people wait for everyday of ramadan. It is supposed to be a main aspect of the holy month. My father said that we have to go to work as we usually do, but we have to take our safety measures in order to protect ourselves and others from this virus. My friends said that their family’s will try to enjoy more time with each other without the need to invite anyone and go out for sohour or ifttar and be more exposed to the COVID-19. I think that we all must stay at home to protect ourselves and others from this virus and respect the curfew imposed by the government.
-Omar hussein
lama sewidan's blog 