The month of Ramadan is among us, the traveling month that comes 20 days
too early every year, has been caught up by the merchandizing frenzy such
as any other respectable holiday season. Whereas meals decrease to a major
one during Ramadan from the usual three due to fasting, food purchasing was
estimated to increase 40% during the month.
The “khyam Ramadaniyyah” (Or Ramadanic tents) normally fill the city,
with practices little related to religion or the heavenly values of the month.
Basically places to be seduced by belly dancers, to cruise young women,
and to smoke waterpipe, the “khyam” fulfill their socializing function to the
fullest.
But that was “before”. This year the month comes with little brouhaha. Too
low-key to be noticed, yet too prominent to be ignored. Marketing budgets
have vanished, and no promotional tie-ins fill in the billboards on the coastal
highway creating a cacophony of visual pollution. There are little “Win”
or “Draw” or “Lottery” or “Special offer” or “Buy/Get” slogans. Everyone
seems to be keeping their spending in control.
The only constant of the month remains the lax – or more lax that usual –
attitude of the public sector. Whereas employees work officially from 8 am
to 2 pm on weekdays and till 1 on Saturday, practically everyone (Christians
before Moslems) leave on 11 am on Friday to go pray. Or at least that’s the
official reason.
In Ramadan, this Club Med schedule gets even lighter, fasting employees
start at 9 am and leave at 1 pm – “I’m fasting!” insert a beige face and a
gesture combining self-pity with did-you-see-me-I’m-fasting.
And since Christian employees take the usual attitude of “I cannot do this
stamp on my own, I need my Moslem coworker to co-sign in the next of-
fice,” the whole thing culminates into a major blockage of any normal activ-
ity in the land.
Whereas supposedly and by law, the number of Christian employees should
equal those of the Moslems, demographics and real life situations are far
different from that. In addition, Lebanon enjoys too much vacation days –
mainly because apart from independence day – all other religious holidays
must be equal among Moslems and Christians: So far 8 for each.
Shiites and Sunnites never agree on the start of Ramadan, which is a little
strange considering they are looking at the same moon (As opposed to the
different timing of the Easters in the Christian dogma,

with the Catholics following the sun and the Orthodox following the moon),
this results in a “decalage” of a day between the beginning of the festivities –
with Sunnis taking the lead.
No wonder all major pop stars in the region only start giving concerts on
“thani ayyam Eid el Fitr” (Or the second day of the “fitr” (Breaking of the
fast) festivities) to make sure that all of their audiences are synchronized in
terms of eating – rather than some of them waiting for the “cannon” (Now
replaced by the “sound of the cannon” on radio, rather than the real one that
was used at the turn of the century) to begin eating, or having to stop before
daybreak – when the party is still at its hottest as the lead singers take a lot of
time to appear following the opening acts.
A few years back, Eid el Fitr coincided with Christmas and the New Year,
and we all fell in the lethargy of the “national unity” and saw angel decora-
tions incestuously close to moons and santa clauses almost having inter-
course with lanterns, and Virgin Mary busy in her double shift of mother
of the little “Jesus”es and “Oum Issa” as she is known in Moslem tradition
(With Issa being a prophet rather than the Messiah the little “Jesus”es will
grow up to be).
Last year’s Cedar revolution gave infancy to many slogans, one of which
is “Islam, Massihyeh, wehdeh wattaniye” (“Moslems, Christians, National
Unity”).
“Well, if it is really a national unity, why must be stress on the Christian and
Moslem identities asked me a friend?”
“I don’t know, but obviously, some years Ramadan does not coincide with
Christmas.”