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Moslems call Ramazan “sultan” of all the other
eleven months of the year. As a social phenomenon
Ramazan can be regarded as a shared socio-religious
action. As such, Ramazan is full of colourful traits
that single it out from the other months.
One of the most important characteristics of Ramazan
is a complete re-arranging of the meal hours compared
to normal days. During Ramazan it is possible to continue
eating three times a day. The only difference is that
these three meals must not be taken during daylight
hours. In the present day, fasting Moslems usually
eat only two meals. However, in the old days, the
evening Ramazan meal (iftar) was the first meal (the
breaking of the fast at sunset). It was like a breakfast,
repleting the body with salty foods and sweets. In
those times when breaking the fast, people took special
care to pray first. Medical experts also advise this
to help the person avoid eating too much too quickly
on an empty stomach. A dinner meal was eaten at a
later time, which can be compared to a noon meal on
normal days. |
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