Ramadan means so much more than fasting to this N.L. student and her family
Ramadan is a big deal in the home of 10-year old Rimas Tohme of St. John's. It's a time for tranquillity, goodness, prayer and in her case, teaching her classmates about the traditions of the Muslim celebration.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is marked by Muslims worldwide as a month with fasts, prayer, and reflection.
It is largely known in the West for the fast Muslims observe from sunrise to sundown —this year, it begins on Thursday and ends on April 20 — but Rimas says there's a lot more to it than that.
"People say we are fasting, but that's only a part of it. It's the month of tranquillity, the month of cure, the month of goodness, the month of forgiveness, the month of being a Muslim," Rimas said Tuesday. "The month of the Qur'an, the month of mercy."
Observing the fast while attending school can sometimes be challenging, said Rimas, but her school is very accommodating. She also answers questions from her classmates about their Ramadan traditions — like getting to stay up late to spend time with her family.
"It's, like, kind of hard, 'cause we have to like sit in our class.… When people are eating for, like, lunch, we get kind of hungry. So sometimes they take us down to the music room," she said.
"Some are jealous that I get to stay up," she added with a laugh.
Back at home, Rimas and her four-year-old sister Sarah were excited to decorate for Ramadan, creating homemade pieces and paintings to place on the walls.
"The most important part about Ramadan is, like, spending time with family, and the Qur'an, reading the Qur'an and praying, and sometimes helping my mom with food," Rimas said. "My favourite part before Ramadan is decorating. I really like to decorate. It just gives a Ramadan vibe."
Rimas's mother, Safaa Tohme, owns Safaa's Kitchen, a frequent vendor at the St. John's Farmers' Market. It's a busy time for Tohme's business — she'll cook for more than 200 people over the next month.
"It's not easy to schedule for Ramadan.… We start, we eat at 3:30 [a.m.] before sunrise," said Tohme, adding that they won't be able to eat until sundown, which is after 7 p.m.
"My children will be going to school," she said. "I and my husband, we read Qur'an, we pray, we go shopping to prepare for supper at 7 o clock."
Tohme, who came to Newfoundland from Syria seven years ago, says she's seen parts of her culture become more prevalent around St. John's, especially during Ramadan.
