Trip in 2008 Post Ramadan

topic posted Wed, September 19, 2007 - 8:09 PM by  Greg
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My wife and I are planning a trip to Morocco in late 2008.We were thinking about October so we can miss the August heat.I assume that going to Morocco during Ramadan (September 08) would not be a good idea.
Any comments?

Thanks
Greg
New Zealand
posted by:
Greg
New Zealand
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  • Unsu...
     

    Re: Trip in 2008 Post Ramadan

    Thu, September 20, 2007 - 11:48 AM

    Actually Ramadan is a lovely time to be in Morocco~

    I have been there twice and the experience is wonderful. Ramadan is beautiful
    even if one is not fasting, you cannot help but enjoy watching the festive atmosphere
    as sunset nears ~ there is a certain spiritual charge in the air, and during the day there
    are restaurants and cafes open for the non-Muslims ~ no problem~!
    • Re: Trip in 2008 Post Ramadan

      Thu, September 20, 2007 - 6:04 PM
      OK, so maybe the idea might be to have some of our time in late September and some in early October so we can get the best of both worlds?

      Thanks
      • Re: Trip in 2008 Post Ramadan

        Sat, September 29, 2007 - 6:20 PM
        Yes, I think this would be good.

        That way you woul get to be there for the Eid al Ftur (holiday at the end of Ramadan), which is a very happy time indeed, and still have plenty of time afterwards.

        During Ramadan you would find that shops are not open as much, and no restaurants open during the day, etc, so I probably wouldn't recommend having your whole trip during Ramadan.

        Hope you have a great trip!
        • Unsu...
           

          Re: Trip in 2008 Post Ramadan

          Sun, September 30, 2007 - 12:16 PM

          It must depend on where one is...

          I have a home in Asilah, which is a small city about a half an hour south of Tangier~ and
          there are indeed restaurants and cafes open during the day for those who are not fasting.

          I agree with Kylie~ Eid will be a great time to be there.
          • About Eid

            Wed, October 3, 2007 - 5:39 AM
            Okay, I have to ask this.

            When I lived in Morocco, there were in fact two "Eids" associated with Ramadan. The first was the last official night of Ramadan, and it was called "Eid el S'rer" (the little Eid). Then a couple of weeks later (new moon, full moon?) was Eid el K'bir (the big feast). They were both quite festive, but I was surprised that the K'bir one (where they sacrifice sheep) was such a long time after the end of Ramadan. Maybe they need time for everybody to obtain a sheep to slaughter? Actually, the first year I was there, there was a controversy over the K'bir because there had been a terrible drought and crop failure that year, and the king (Hassan II) decreed that sheep slaughter was "cancelled". The family I lived with killed a sheep anyway (one of their own), but were a bit freaked they were breaking the law.

            So can somebody explain about the two Eids to me? Its only been 27 years I've been wondering ;-).
            • Unsu...
               

              Re: About Eid

              Wed, October 3, 2007 - 8:07 AM
              From my understanding the second Eid that you are speaking of is actually not related to Ramadan~ I found the following at Wikipedia:

              Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr), often abbreviated as simply Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fiṭr means "to break the fast" and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family is awake very early and then after praying the first normal everyday prayer, is required to eat in a small quantity, symbolizing the end of Ramadan. They then attend special congregational prayers held only for this occasion in mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a sermon (khuṭba). Worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment are commonly observed with visits to the homes of relatives and friends to thank Allah (swt) for all blessings.

              For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion with important religious significance, celebrating of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims celebrate not only the end of fasting, but also thank Allah (swt) for the help and strength that they believe he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control. It is a time of giving and sharing, and many Muslims dress in holiday attire.

              Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd al-’Aḍḥā) is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commemoration of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah. It is one of two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha also begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).

              Eid al-Adha is 4 days long and starts on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. This is the day after the pilgrims in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.

              Eid-ul-Adha (Adha Eid) has other popular names across the Muslim world, such as Eid el-Kbir in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

              While Eid ul-Adha is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. The Lunar calendar is approximately 10 days shorter than the Solar calendar.[1] Each year, Eid ul-Adha (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of two different Gregorian dates in different parts of the world, due to the fact that the boundary of crescent visibility is different from the International date line.

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