Holy month keeps Suad happily busy

Ramadan is traditionally a time for reflection, when the pace of people’s daily lives slows down, allowing them to focus on fasting and prayer. However, for Suad Kalefah Humaid it couldn’t be busier.

UMM AL QUWAIN // Ramadan is traditionally a time for reflection, when the pace of life slows down allowing people to focus on fasting and prayer.

But for Suad Humaid, it could not be busier.

Ms Humaid, 40, an Emirati, spends the holy month surrounded by relatives, visiting old friends and preparing iftar to feed not just her family, but her neighbours as well.

“The holy month of Ramadan means for us that it is the month of worship, and brings us closer to Allah through prayer and reading the Quran,” she said.

“It also brings my whole family members and relatives closer to each other.”

Ms Humaid, who lives in Umm Al Quwain, said all of her family – from the oldest to the youngest – spend each day of Ramadan catching up and talking about their lives, their problems and helping whoever needs a favour.

“The first week of Ramadan specialises in family visits and relatives such as uncles, aunts and grandparents,” she said.

“The elderly become happier because all of us ask about them and visit them.”

People are together from the time they break fast until suhoor.

“The bedtime separates us from each other,” said Ms Humaid, an administrative assistant at the Ministry of Health.

Each evening the women of the family head to her mother’s house with their children and dishes prepared for iftar, while the men gather in a Ramadan tent next to the house.

“I spend the whole month of Ramadan at my mother’s house, and I always coordinate with her about what she wants to cook in order not to repeat the same meal,” says Ms Humaid. “But in ordinary days I visit her a maximum of two or three times a week.”

Sharing food with families in her neighbourhood is one of the much-loved traditions of Ramadan as it brings the community together, she said.

“Before the time of iftar in half an hour, we distribute a dish from the food we made to each neighbouring house.

“Old women cook traditional food such as harees, beriani, thareed, and machboos in addition to the traditional sweets like sago, aseed and qemaat – that is the main sweet dish.

“But women who are younger prepare different kinds of food such as Egyptian, Indian, Syrian and Lebanese food and desserts.”

Another Ramadan must-have is the fruit-flavoured drink Vimto.

“Vimto juice is the essential drink for all Emiratis in Ramadan, although we do not drink it a lot in ordinary days,” said Ms Humaid. “At the iftar time we break our fast through eating a few dates with a glass of water.”

After eating, the whole family watches television and chats before attending the extended Ramadan taraweeh prayers at the local mosque.

“After eating, we sit to watch television, and then all of us, men and women, go together to the mosque to pray taraweeh and read the Quran.”

Later in the evening, people from the neighbourhood gather at a house to sit, talk, eat traditional desserts and drink tea or coffee.

“We call this gathering in UAE ‘fuala’, and it is from our traditions and essential at every Emirati house,” Ms Humaid said.

“Fuala starts from 11pm to 12.30am and then everyone goes home and sleeps until suhoor.

“At the time of suhoor, we eat before fajr prayer and then we pray and read the Quran.”

Ms Humaid buys all her food and essentials for Ramadan and Eid before the beginning of the holy month so she can focus on praying and taking care of her family, and to avoid the crowds at the shops.

“In the last week of Ramadan I go to the salon to do henna,” said Ms Humaid, who plans to teach the young girls in the family how to cook so they can master preparing food for the whole family.

“At the end of Ramadan, I want to give all the maids rewards for their work and efforts during the holy month, in addition to giving a gift to the child who finishes first reading the whole Quran.”