Ramadan in Pakistan: From decorating the streets to feeding the needy fasting people.
Ramadan has its customs and conditions that set it apart from other months of the year. Muslims around the world come together to worship and pray during the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting is a spiritual period of purification for the soul that brings with it diverse and fascinating cultural traditions, and people in every corner of the world observe it with their customs and traditions. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during this month and increase their unity by performing special rituals and ceremonies for this month. Ramadan is an opportunity to reflect, seek forgiveness, and strengthen social bonds. Various rituals are performed by fasting people during this month, reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of Muslim communities.
Ramadan in Pakistan is a month like no other. As one of the largest Muslim countries in the world, this holy month is celebrated with great enthusiasm, deep spirituality and rich culinary traditions in the country.
Distribution of food parcels to the needy ahead of Ramadan
Preparations for Ramadan in Pakistani homes begin weeks before the month begins. The atmosphere is filled with enthusiasm and excitement as they prepare the ingredients needed to cook traditional Ramadan dishes. Pakistani food expert Somayeh Jamil recalls in her memoirs: “A few weeks before Ramadan, my mother would prepare the essential ingredients for the month: lentils, roasted vermicelli, dates, rooibos (a rose water drink), flour for making parathas and samosa, chickpea flour for pakoras, black and white chickpeas, and rice. Fresh ingredients were always bought on the same day. Preparing for this month was as much fun as Ramadan itself.”
“These purchases were not just for personal consumption. Pakistani families prepare food parcels for the needy during Ramadan so that no one goes without food during this month,” she says. We always prepared packages of dry goods for the underprivileged families and distributed them before the start of Ramadan.”
Reciting parts of the Holy Quran and showing brotherhood and unity
The month of Ramadan is known as the spring month of the Quran among the Muslim people of Pakistan. As the month of Ramadan begins, fasting people in different parts of Pakistan recite parts of the Quran in group sessions during the daily congregational prayers. It is during this month that the God-seeking nation of Pakistan, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or tribe, devotes its heart to the Quran more than ever and seeks help from this divine book for self-purification, forgiveness of sins, self-improvement in this world, and provision for their hereafter.
Religious leaders and religious groups in Pakistan are calling on people to demonstrate the highest form of unity, brotherhood, and integrity in this holy month of worship of God against anti-Islamic elements and those who, by sowing the seeds of discord and sedition among Muslims, intend to misuse and oppose the manifest religion of Islam.