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Dubai: She picked two dates from the bowl and gave one to her husband the last time she fasted. In a few seconds, it would be time for iftar.
The sound of the prayer call filtered through the living room, as they closed their eyes in prayer. She fought back tears of nostalgia. He tried not to show his. They both missed home.
A year-and-a-half away from their families has not rid the newly-married Pakistani couple of homesickness, a problem that escalates during Ramadan. "A lot has changed since I've left home," Aisha said.
When younger, both Aisha and Fouad Ahmad remember waking up to the aroma of "parathas" or leavened bread being fried in the morning, for suhoor. Today, they have come to terms with the fact that Ramadan will never be the same.
Aisha said: "It is just not the same when your mother is not cooking for you. I can no longer gobble up ready meals and get back to a cozy bed in the morning. Earlier, I would look forward to the evening prayer when we, as a family, would sit down to break the fast at iftar."
For Ahmad, it is the elaborate variety of eatables, prepared by his mother, that he misses the most.
"I was really homesick for my first Ramadan in the UAE, seven years ago, as it was also a time away from home. I missed fighting over the last fried savoury with my siblings. But most of all, I missed the huge family gatherings."
But as with everything that has changed for the couple, so have the customs surrounding Ramadan.
The difference, said both, is mostly in the manner in which Ramadan is celebrated in the UAE.
Essence
As Aisha grew up in the UAE, she noticed a marked difference in the "essence of the month", when she compared it to festivities during her brief stay in Pakistan and England.
"Ramadan gets to you here. The change is all around and one can't help but be affected by it. Nowhere is it celebrated with such enthusiasm, while also keeping the true spirit of the month intact," Aisha said.
"This is the feeling I got, when I first came here and continue to get it. In Pakistan, too, Ramadan is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm but in a very different style," Ahmad said.
Since being married in 2006, thepast year was the first Ramadan the couple spent together.
Sometimes, Aisha will try and indulge me with new food items at iftar, Ahmad said.
Aisha said it was the least she could do, as they hardly get to spend time with each other. "I guess it is all a part of the game that we call life and living it on the fast track."
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