Today is the first day of Ramadan, the most sacred month of the Islamic religion. Like Losar and Chinese New Year and Jewish holidays, it is based on the lunar calendar, so it changes each year according to our Julian calendar. This year, it begins today and runs through March 30. Ramadan is a month of spiritual reflection and practice rather than a holiday.

It is believed that the month of Ramadan is when the prophet Mohamed got his first directions from Allah (the Islamic term for God) that laid out the principles of Islam. So during that month each year, Muslims are supposed to be focused on renewing their commitment to their religion. Muslims are supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, focusing on their faith rather than their physical appetites. They are supposed to be faithful to their prayer schedule. They are supposed to refrain from gossip and other negative thoughts and actions. They are supposed to repay any debts, get their financial affairs in order, and give to charity. The bottom line is to spend the month focused on their faith rather than their physical and material concerns.

When Ramadan ends, there is a holiday called Eid Al-Fitr, or the Festival of Breaking the Fast. People celebrate with food, family and friends, new clothes, gifts, and other holiday items.

So today was the first day that Muslims were fasting for Ramadan. And given the pain and suffering so many Muslims has been through this year, especially in Gaza, I decided I would “fast” with them.

However, I’ll admit up front I did not fast like the Muslims fast. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. According to the Internet, today that meant, at least in North Carolina, everything had to be consumed before 5:34 AM or after 6:12 PM. Many Muslims have a pre-dawn meal called Sehar, then break their fast together with a meal called Iftar. I did not get up at 5:00 AM for my day’s eating and drinking quotient before dawn, but I did wait until after 6:12 PM to eat anything. However, I was teaching today (Snow Day makeup), and I just didn’t think I could do that without at least some liquids in my system. So I didn’t eat anything until after 6:12 PM but I did have drinks. My goal is not to “do” Ramadan but to share the experience of Muslims who are. So at least I had the experience of ignoring the chocolate chip muffins someone at school had kindly made for our Snow Day Saturday classes and left out for the teachers. I didn’t eat lunch during my lunch break, and I didn’t have a snack when I first came home. But I did make my version of an evening Iftar meal (shown above).

As the main dish, I made an Iftar staple soup called Harira. Originally from Morocco, it is a Harissa-spiced vegetable soup with at least lentils and chickpeas (sometimes noodles and/or rice), made with or without meat (mine was vegan). I researched a LOT of recipes for Harira, but finally decided it was like chicken soup in the US–the “best” or “most authentic” recipe is the one that tastes the most like the one your grandmother made for you when you were a child.

Anyway, I cooked a pound of chickpeas, half of which went into the soup, and half of which I turned into homemade garlic hummus. So you can see above my dinner, which I didn’t eat until after 7:30, because I waited until after 6:15 (just to make sure) to taste my soup broth and my hummus as I made my dinner. (I’m not a great recipe follower, so I tend to taste and add or leave out as I go along.)

It was a lovely meal. I only wish I had someone to share it with, which is a big part of Ramadan. However, on March 27, a Turkish organization in our community called The Divan Center has invited the larger community to share in their Iftar dinner, and I will be going to that. I know it will be a lovely event. And I look forward to seeing how their Harira compares to mine (spoiler alert: I, like, quadrupled the amount of the spicy Harissa sauce quoted in the recipe I was using).

Anyway, it was a thoughtful day, in that I was trying to connect with the experience of millions of people on the planet who have different spiritual beliefs than I do. Yes, I got hungry, but not that hungry (and I was drinking, which helps fill the belly). I just felt good trying to send my little spiritual message to Muslims that not all non-Islamic Americans judge, belittle, or reject them. I appreciate even more their commitment to doing this for a month, let alone for my one day. And the food was good!