It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... Ramadan

The prophet gave particular instructions on how to break the fast with... a date and glass of water. The 'Purpose Driven Mosque" (the largest and most modern mosque in the city, as we refer to it) hands out bags of water and dates in the street so that at exactly sundown, you can break the fast in your car!

"Ramadan lights" dangle on porches and balconies in the shapes of stars and crescent moons. Almost every restaurant and coffee shop is closed during the day, but opens at about 8:30pm in the evening. (It is illegal to eat or drink in public until after the evening prayer.) As you can see in this picture, it's in the middle of the day, and Starbucks is closed and empty.


For those of you who are less familiar with this holiday, Ramadan is 30 days of fasting during the daylight hours. This is a spiritual discipline that is required in Islam, as one of the five pillars. For those that participate in Ramadan, their prayers reach highest to God, and their chances of receiving God's mercy at Judgment Day are significantly greater.

Festive Decorations...