Okay, this is kind of a weird question, but do you think it helps to break your fast with bland foods? I was in India last year during Ramadan and on one occasion I happened to be in a neighborhood with a very large Muslim population (and I was in Hyderabad, which has a large Muslim minority in general) when the sun set, and anyway I was starving, so I ended up in this restaurant looking for something vegetarian to have for dinner. A woman in a burqa told me that I should have a particular dish because it’s a traditional food for breaking the fast. So I did and it was okay, but it was also the blandest thing I ever ate in India.
Does it make a huge difference what time of year Ramadan falls when it comes to how easy the fast is?
Mr. Neville and I make a stew with white beans and lamb shanks every year for the dinner before Yom Kippur starts. It’s yummy, and it keeps us from getting very hungry into the afternoon of Yom Kippur.
We usually try to break our Yom Kippur fast with bland foods, too, to avoid upsetting our stomachs.
I’ve fasted for Yom Kippur a few times too, and it’s never occurred to me to break the fast with bland foods.
Of course, I have an iron cast stomach and I have to be legitimately sick to have stomach ailments. The last time I fasted for Yom Kippur, I broke it with Indian food.
That’s actually a brilliant idea. Muslims are inclined to be far more charitable during Ramadan as we believe that any good deeds get extra “brownie points” during that month, so it’s the perfect time to hit us up for some cash. In fact I believe the donations to help the Pakistani flood victims have been off the charts, partly due to the timing.
The hunger and thirst do get easier - you don’t feel the hunger pangs as much during the day and you soon stop obsessing over food. However the spiritual or mental aspects don’t get any easier. It’s a constant challenge to be the best that you can be - to focus your thoughts on worship, on repentance for past misdeeds, on keeping your temper and being forgiving, etc. All of that is hard to maintain, especially if you’ve been slacking for the rest of the year!
I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules about it - the actual food varies so much from country to country and culture to culture. I personally avoid eating anything too spicy after a fast because I’m not sure my stomach would appreciate it. I tend to start the meal with water and dates followed by a warming soup and some bread, but that’s just how we do it at home and it’s really each to their own.
It makes a big difference. Sunset during the winter can be as early as 4.30pm versus 9pm in the summer. That’s the difference between breaking my fast with a late lunch at work and waiting an extra three hours or so when I get home. I was actually nervous about the fast this year and wondering how hard it would be to cope, but it’s actually been fine.
As **AK84 **says, “Happy Eid” is absolutely fine, but to me “Eid Mubarak” sounds nicer, especially coming from a non-Muslim. Perhaps because it’s in Arabic and somehow feels more emphatic.
A valid point. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:
“Common greetings during this holiday are the Arabic greeting ‘Īd mubārak (“Blessed Eid”) or ‘Īd sa‘īd (“Happy Eid”). In addition, many countries have their own greetings based on local language and traditions.”
And here’s the article showing all the regional variations:
It works with people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Arabic is the language of Islam like Latin used to be the language of Christianity.
Bib, when will you want your son to start fasting? Do you expect him to do his best to take part in the other aspects of Ramadan - being more charitable, etc? How do you encourage that in him?
