Eid Mubarak! Finally...

So it’s official, yesterday was the last day of Ramadan, which basically means we are back to Bussiness as usual. After Eid, that is.

While I’m glad that it’s over, I found Ramadan in Egypt to be much less disruptive to my daily rutine than in Qatar.

After all, in Qatar life literally stops for a month: not only it is completely forbidden to drink, eat or smoke in public during daylight hours, but most malls, shops, grocery stores, restaurants, cafes and entertainment would open only at night. Doha became somewhat a ghost town during the day only to come to life right after sunset, and far from being a period of abstinence, it felt like a month of binge and nigh partying only to knock it off and sleep during the day. Personally, I dreaded Ramadam over there and would count the days to Eid, which are the festivities that mark the end of the month.

Ramadan feels more real here in Cairo,and life continues with a certain degree of normality, with the exception that everything takes a slower pace. Most Muslims go trough their daily activities while fasting and there is a real sense of devotion and religious observance amongst them. It is difficult to imagine the amount of will power that takes to go though the day without water when is 40C outside and this can be also felt in the general mood in the streets. Dehydration takes its toll in the mind as well as in the body. In normal circumstances, most Egyptians would chain smoke and drink endless cups of tea, and so being without these makes them cranky, which explains the usual fights and verbal abuse that increasily takes place in the streets as the days wear off . If there is a time of the day when I’d rather not be seen outside the safe confines of my home, that would be the hour or so that precedes Iftar.

Nevertheless, today is the first day of Eid, which is like a big Christmas party in Christian terms, when everyone is merry, children receive presents, everyone wears their best clothes and there’s a mood for celebration. Eid Mubarak! (Can hear fireworks in the background as I type!)