Lanterns and bazaars for Ramadan

By GONARANAO B. MUSOR


Having worked in other countries, I have had the privilege of observing Ramadan in three countries with three unique ways of observing the Holy Month – the Philippines, Egypt and now Malaysia.

In Egypt, I remember growing quite fond of all those beautiful lighted Ramadan lanterns, called fanoos, displayed in front of houses to commemorate the season. They reminded me of the lanterns during Christmas in the Philippines.

Here in Malaysia, I have seen many Eid cards sold in local bookstores and gift shops. I first heard about these Eid cards through my colleagues in YMPN (Young Moro Professionals Network), who made their own Eid cards and tried to sell them to fellow Muslims as a fund-raising project for Ramadan. Back then, I ignorantly assumed that it was an original idea of theirs that no other Muslim in the world has probably heard of. But surprise, surprise, someone from the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs later sent me one (made in Singapore of course!) which made me realize that there is actually a market for these cards. Come to think of it, if you can give a birthday, anniversary, congratulatory, or Christmas greeting card, why not give an Eid Card to your dear Muslim friend?

Just like any other widely-celebrated holiday like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, Ramadan in Malaysia has become a hugely commercialized occasion. There are many Ramadan buffets in restaurants and hotels at a special discounted price, and Ramadan bazaars that remind me of Christmas tiangges in the Philippines. Breaking your fasting in Malaysia can be such a gastronomic experience because of all the delicious food.

Speaking of eating, one thing that Malaysia does not have and which Egypt has that I truly appreciated is the free iftar (communal meals to break the fast) on the streets of Cairo. A few hours before iftar, people start setting up tables and chairs on the side streets, and at sundown, anyone can just grab a table and have their iftar for free.

In the Philippines, I haven’t really seen any unique or defining feature in the way Moros celebrate Ramadan. That is the disadvantage of being a Muslim in a country where we are the minority. Aside from the usual declaration of a non-working holiday during Eidl Fitr, there’s not much that ordinary Filipinos know about fasting or Ramadan. When you ask them what they know about this important Muslim holiday, they would probably say, “di ba yun yung walang pasok pag matatapos na?"

In the media, there’s not that much effort to feature Ramadan. The only thing I can remember when I was still in the Philippines was when GMA-7 did a series of feature reports about Ramadan on SAKSI and coincidentally the reporter had a Muslim-sounding name. I also remember GMA-7 showing an “Eid Mubarak" greeting during a commercial break, but it was shown in the early hours of the morning, when not that many people were awake to see it; I did not see the greeting again later in the day. Oh, and there’s also the usual news article that appears in major broadsheets about the beginning and end of Ramadan.

In my own small way, I try to promote my religion and culture whenever I can. Once, I wrote an article that gave a blow-by-blow account of a day in the life of a fasting Muslim UP student that got published in our student newspaper the Philippine Collegian. The narrative gave UP students a glimpse of the personal struggles of a Muslim as he tries to go about his daily routine while staying faithful to his religious tradition.

In our family, we started a tradition of showcasing the Holy Month with pride. During Christmas, a typical Filipino neighborhood would be very bright in the evening because of all the dancing Christmas lights and colorful lanterns. Using the same Christmas lights, my uncle made a “Happy Ramadan!" sign bathed in bright, colorful, dancing lights and displayed it in front of our house. What made it stand out was that for once, we were the only house in our street with Christmas lights, and it wasn’t even December!

Although this family tradition is a borrowed one, I am still proud of this effort to give the observance of Ramadan in the Philippines our personal and unique stamp. I hope that through this practice, non-Muslim Filipinos would have an image in their memory they could associate with Ramadan in the Philippines, in the same way that non-Egyptians (like me) associate the fanoos with Ramadan in Egypt.

Regardless of the unique traditions and practices we put into our observance of Ramadan, one thing should remain constant – Ramadan is a time of sacrifice, reflection, and giving back to others. For me this is the essence of Ramadan whether you are in the Philippines, Egypt or Malaysia.



Gonaranao B. Musor has written articles for various publications and was the former editor of www.bangsamoro.com, an online magazine. A Maranao born and raised in Manila, he loves to write about his culture and dabble in humorous non-fiction.


Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/172251/lanterns-and-bazaars-for-ramadan