Hello People,
For those of you unfamiliar, Ramadan, the holy month of fasting in Islam, is just here. This year, it will be a particularly unique experience again for me – observing Ramadan in Sweden for the second time, a country with vastly different traditions and a much quite Ramadan vibes compared to my home country, Egypt.
Let’s be honest, Ramadan in Egypt is a whole vibe. The streets come alive at night with bustling night markets, the scent of freshly baked konafa fills the air, and family and friends gathering. Here in Linköping, the quiet evenings and daylight hours that are getting longer will definitely be a different experience.
For me, Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and inner peace, no matter where you are. However, I’m still consistent on making my Ramadan special in Linköping and simulate the Egyptian vibes of it, and here is how I did it:
Recreating the Ramadan vibes in my room was my secret to feel the spirit. I started putting Ramadan Decorations and lights everywhere. Beside having a scented candles and lighting them in the night.
The good food was always a big part of felling the Egyptian Ramadan vibes. All the houses smells so good from the great food that is been cooked for the Iftar (the fast breaking meal).
My mom always would welcome Ramadan by making special sweets called Basbosa and konafa, and I did the same. I made Basbosa before Ramadan by few days and I invited the people in the material lab for Fika to try it.
One special thing about Ramadan is inviting people over for food where you all gather and break your fast together by very delicious food. And here I gooo, I invited my different friends groups to some Typical Ramadan Egyptian food and it was a very good experience.
One thing that makes my Ramadan more warm and special this year is my Egyptian best Friend coming over from London to spend the first week of Ramadan with me, which makes me feel home and not alone in this journey.
For sure spirituality is the main thing about Ramadan, which means that I spend my nights Praying Taraweeh, reading Quran, reflecting on prayers, and feeling the inner peace of Ramadan detoxing.
Finally, and thanks to technology, I can still connect with loved ones back home virtually. A pre-dawn video call with family, sharing stories and laughter, can make a world of difference.
Sure, it might be different from Ramadan back home, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be special. This Ramadan in Sweden will be a chance to focus on myself and how I can connect with Ramadan differently in another community.
