Day 21: Then, and Now

Guest blogger: My dear cousin SanaWhen I think of Ramadan as a little girl, I have flashbacks. What I see the most is iftari in Rawalpindi in my Nana’s house. I see a long tablecloth spread on the carpet. I see my grandparents, my parents, my uncles and aunts and all my cousins sitting around the tablecloth feasting on pakoras and jalebis. All the grown-ups would have “sattu”, a light barley drink, with sugar and crushed ice, which was supposed to help beat the heat. In the hot, summer months, there was a loud cooler attached to the window blaring cold air into the house. There was a jasmine plant outside and the sweet smell of the flowers would come in through the window. There were many evenings when all the girls would be wearing jasmine bracelets hand-made by my Nani. These are my childhood memories of Ramadan. Whenever I think about them, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling.Ramadan is very different for my girls. Every year, at the beginning of the month, the girls make Ramadan calendars. The calendars have a list of good deeds like “fasting”, “praying”, “acts of kindness”, “reading Quran”. They check off their good deeds every day of the month. At the end of Ramadan they will get a gift. Zara will probably go to the bookstore. Ayza will end up at the candy store! They make Eid cards to raise money for our mosque. They collect toys to donate as Eid gifts for the Muslim refugee children in our community. They go to Iftar parties with their friends and play games like “Islamic Jeopardy” and “Name that Surah”. They make crafts like paper lanterns and mosaic art. My girls will have very different childhood memories of Ramadan. But I hope when they look back, they too will get a warm, fuzzy feeling.Day 21, Tradition 21: Creating warm, fuzzy feelings