The month of Ramadan is celebrated in Jordan as it is in Muslim countries throughout the world, with fasting and the spectacular banquet-feast of Eid-al-Fitr at the end, when families come together to celebrate the end of the fast, give each other presents and generally breathe sighs of relief that they can eat during the day again.
The month of Ramadan is, in theory, an opportunity for the Muslim to show his religious commitment and grow closer to God, by depriving himself of the sensual pleasure of food and directing his thoughts to the transcendent, to Allah. It is a time for spiritual exercises, prayer and spiritual communion, whether in Mosques or in the home.
In practice for many Muslims in Jordan as well as in other countries Ramadan means going hungry for large parts of the day. Rush hour can be a terrible thing and people can be gruff, sluggish and irritable. And very, very hungry.
The rules governing the Ramadan fast are simple. According to the Quran, you can eat and drink freely during Ramadan, "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night." What this means in practice is enormous breakfasts, night-time food markets and sunset feasts.
According to tradition, the merit accumulated through keeping the fast can be destroyed by the five following acts (which are prohibited during the rest of the year too, but which are especially condemned during Ramadan): the telling of a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath, and greed or covetousness. These ethical strictures reflect the moral character of the fast, the fact that it is not torture or punishment but an instrument to sharpen the individual's perceptions of the Divine and organise the scattered everyday thoughts of mundane life.
Jordanians can be a bit testy during Ramadan, not an unnatural consquence of going about your daily business without food or drink, so thread a bit carefully. Most importantly, make sure you abide by the restrictions on consumption imposed by the fast, as breaking these is offensive at best, and can lead to severe penalties!
Also, be wary of the fact that the end of Ramadan (and the beginning of the three-day Eid-al-Fitr festival) generally depends not on the astronomical lunar cycle, but rather on the first sighting of the moon in the sky by a human being. Thus the precise date can vary by one or two days according to whether the sky is clouded or clear.
In practice for many Muslims in Jordan as well as in other countries Ramadan means going hungry for large parts of the day. Rush hour can be a terrible thing and people can be gruff, sluggish and irritable. And very, very hungry.
The rules governing the Ramadan fast are simple. According to the Quran, you can eat and drink freely during Ramadan, "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night." What this means in practice is enormous breakfasts, night-time food markets and sunset feasts.
According to tradition, the merit accumulated through keeping the fast can be destroyed by the five following acts (which are prohibited during the rest of the year too, but which are especially condemned during Ramadan): the telling of a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath, and greed or covetousness. These ethical strictures reflect the moral character of the fast, the fact that it is not torture or punishment but an instrument to sharpen the individual's perceptions of the Divine and organise the scattered everyday thoughts of mundane life.
Jordanians can be a bit testy during Ramadan, not an unnatural consquence of going about your daily business without food or drink, so thread a bit carefully. Most importantly, make sure you abide by the restrictions on consumption imposed by the fast, as breaking these is offensive at best, and can lead to severe penalties!
Also, be wary of the fact that the end of Ramadan (and the beginning of the three-day Eid-al-Fitr festival) generally depends not on the astronomical lunar cycle, but rather on the first sighting of the moon in the sky by a human being. Thus the precise date can vary by one or two days according to whether the sky is clouded or clear.
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