Ramadan kareem!

Today is the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Muslim year which follows a lunar calendar. Each month begins with a sighting of the moon's crescent and lasts 29 or 30 days until the sighting of the next month's crescent. The month of Ramadan commemorates the days when the Angel Gabriel imparted the Koran, Islam's holy book, to the Prophet Mohammed. It is during this month that Muslims fast. According to Sharia, or Islamic law, all adult Muslims must fast during the holy month with only pregnant and nursing women, the sick and travelers being exempt. The daily fast lasts from sunrise to sunset and is broken after evening prayers with a meal called iftar. Iftar is a very social time when people get together with family and friends to eat, relax, often to smoke shisha, its really nice.

For an expat what are the noticable changes during Ramadan?

In general: No eating, drinking or smoking in public.

Socially: Barracuda in UAQ is closed for the month.

On the road: This morning there was less traffic on the road, the late start at work means that I went to the gym at 7:30am. The traffic normally would be a nightmare but today it all flowed smoothly.

At the mall: The coffee shops, food courts and restaurants are closed all day. They open after the evening prayers and then stay open most of the night. The local Maccas opens at 6:30pm and closes just before sunrise prayers at 4:30am. Hotel restaurants stay open for guests but the eating areas are screened off from public view. The local wisdom is that one should stay off the road just before evening prayer time as those who have been fasting all day are really grumpy by that time and are in a hurry to either get to the mosque for prayers or get home for something to eat.

At the mall: No musak in the mall, thank goodness as recently its included that dreadful old thing "Yes sir I can boogy" sung by a girl with a thick Eastern European accent so having no music is a good thing. Instead readings from the Koran play over the PA. I like it as the reading at BurJuman is by an imam from Riyadh with the most glorious voice.

At the gym: No music playing over the PA. No water bottles in use. No music videos playing on the bank of screens in front of the cardio machines either, instead there's sports, CNN news and old Egyptian movies.

At work: Over the month of Ramadan the office working hours are 9:30 - 3:30. No water bottles or coffee cups on the desks and those who want to eat or drink go into the Boardroom.