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10 Things You Should Know About Ramadan
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims endure a period of daily fasting – the biggest act of religious observance of its kind. For the world’s 1.6bn Muslims, including Britain’s 2.8 million-strong Muslim community, the annual event represents a time to fast and devote a particular focus to prayer, purification, and charitable acts. This year Ramadan begins on Friday, May 26 and ends on Saturday, June 24.
The info below should help enlighten you on several other interesting aspects of this holy time experienced by so many.
1. WHAT IS RAMADAN?
As the holiest month of the year, it is a crucial period for practicing Muslims and underpins some of the religion’s core values, such as prayer and giving to charity. Practically speaking, it’s the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The word comes from the root words ramiḍa or ar-ramaḍ, which roughly translate to the scorching heat of the sun. For Muslims, this means a time of deep spiritual discipline where they reaffirm their relationship with Allah and through which, in keeping with the name, their sins will be burnt away.
2.WHY IS IT HOLY?
This month is believed to be around the time the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the prophet Muhammad in 610 C.E.
As the story is told, Muhammad would often leave his hometown of Makkah to reflect and meditate in solitude. One night while Muhammad sat contemplating in a cave, he heard a voice call out to him, “Read!” The voice belonged to the angel Gabriel. In turn, Muhammad proceeded to miraculously recite the first verse of what would come to form Chapter 96 of the Qu’ran, which goes:
“Read, in the name of thy Lord, Who created?
Created man, out of a clot (embryo).
Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,
He Who taught the use of the pen?
Taught man that which he knew not.
Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds,
In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient.
Verily, to thy Lord is the return (of all).”
3. WHY DO MUSLIMS FAST DURING RAMADAN?
Fasting (sawm in Arabic), is one of the five key pillars underpinning the Islamic faith. The others are prayer (salat), giving a percentage of your salary to charity (zakat), making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and, of course, a belief in the Muslim faith (shahadah).
Fasting is seen as a way to purify spiritually as well as physically – a time to detach from material pleasures and be closer to God. The act of fasting is also believed to increase Muslims’ piety, reminding them that others are less fortunate than themselves.
Fasting involves abstaining from all food, drink, smoking and having sex from sunrise to sunset. Muslims will wake up before sunrise for morning prayer and to eat before the day’s fast begins. Most will break their fast alongside their families in the evening with a communal “Iftar” meal, typically often started with dates.
Ramadan recipes
4. DO ALL MUSLIMS HAVE TO FAST?
Fit and able adults are expected to fast, but children and elderly people are exempt. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, anyone who is sick and anyone traveling on a journey is also exempt.
Women who are on their periods are not expected to fast but make up the missed days at a later date.
5. AND YES, IF YOU WERE WONDERING, FASTING TIME DIFFERS DEPENDING WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGWeutgKvGc/
6. WHAT IS RAMADAN’S CONNECTION TO THE MOON?
As opposed to the more synonymous January through December months, for religious matters Muslims adhere to a lunar calendar. In the case of Ramadan, the month officially starts with the sighting of the new moon of the lunar calendar’s ninth month. One of the major differences between these two forms of keeping time is that the latter is 11 days shorter. As such, Ramadan shifts backward by approximately 11 days each year.
7. CHARITY FORMS AN IMPORTANT PART OF RAMADAN
Among the aforementioned five pillars of Islam, is the ever important practice of charity. During Ramadan, the rewards of charity are considered to be greater, so this month generally marks a time of great generosity.
8. WHAT IS IFTAR?
Iftar is the meal which is eaten after sunset during Sawm, the fasting which occurs during the month of Ramadan in Muslim tradition. Since people have not eaten at all during the day, they are often quite hungry by the time Iftar comes around, and most people hasten to end the fast as quickly as possible after sunset. In communities with a large Muslim population, a cannon may be fired or other signal given to indicate the end of the day’s fast, and the information may be broadcast over the media as well.
9. ON THAT DAY, YOU CAN WISH YOUR MUSLIM FRIENDS: “EID MUBARAK”
Which means, “Holiday Blessings.”
10. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN RAMADAN ENDS?
The end of the fasting month is marked with a big feast, the exchanging of gifts and celebrations, known as “Eid-ul-Fitr”.
Alibaba Night Club Grand Opening Party
Whether you are in Mostar for a few days or few months you will almost undoubtedly have the urge to let your hair down and go dancing to the early hours at some point. If you are with a group of friends and you are having a good time and you someone asks; “what shall we do now ?”
Well, you can’t go far wrong by going to the Alibaba Discotheque in the old part of the city of Mostar… There is something for all of you, whether it be dancing on one of the dancefloors, sitting on the terrace admiring the magnificent panorama, propping up the bar meeting new people or maybe even smooching in one of the snugs.
Alibaba Night Club is opening its doors on Friday 2 June. Come and experience something new, at this premium night club.
The club boasts 2 levels, 2 dance floors. Cargo caters for everyone, offering only the best at the most exclusive venue that Mostar has to offer.
Join them every weekend night from 2 June. In a spirit of revelry with good music and beverage prices to keep everyone moving and grooving.
You can BOOK your tickets: +387 66 00 55 44
NIGH CLUBS IN MOSTAR
The Bosnian Burger by Jamie Oliver
This post originally appeared on : http://www.jamieoliver.com
We’ve reached the slightly flat stage of the World Cup where some teams are playing their final game, already knowing they are going home. Bosnia-Herzegovina is one such team, taking on World Cup favourites Argentina – let’s hope they can leave Brazil on a high, just like our Foodie World Cup is going to.
When I started to think around Bosnia-Herzegovia as a “virtual” destination for this month, I was intrigued to learn more about the kinds of cuisine found there. Bosnia-Herzegovia is pretty much landlocked, except for a tiny piece of coastline along the Adriatic Sea. As with much of the cuisine of Eastern Europe, centuries of changing rulers and borders have resulted in a flavourful mix of culinary influence – Turkish, Austrian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean – as well as similarities with Romanian and Bulgarian kitchens, too.
Beef, lamb, pork and veal will very often find their way into kebabs called Ćevapi, or into soups and stews such as goulash, loaded up with onions, garlic, tomatoes and other vegetables. The food isn’t so much spicy as robust, often full of peppers and paprika. You’ll also find smaller bites you will recognise, such as stuffed grape leaves with rice (dolma) and flaky pastry filled with meat, cheese, spinach or potatoes (burek). There’s plenty of local, village-made cheese to be found, and good wines. For sweet treats, you’ll be served stewed fruits, filled doughnuts, and the absolutely delicious baklava, which are bite-sized flaky pastry layers lusciously combined with honey and nuts.
For a fitting football snack, I was keen to try my hand at Pljeskavica burgers, because every host should serve a plate of good burgers for guests watching the footy! The word “pljesak” means “to clap the hands”, which is what you do to flatten these particular patties. Some say these burgers are the Serbian national dish (known as the Serbian hamburger), while others refer to them as Bosnian burgers (particularly US chains, oddly!) or Balkan burgers.
The burgers are traditionally thrown onto charcoals to cook – an outside BBQ would be ideal – and sandwiched inside a flatbread (traditionally a thick pita called lepinja). They will need to be prepped before the guests arrive but, because the Balkan burger is thin, it cooks through quickly and will be ready in no time.
You can serve the burgers with pickled vegetables, known as Turšija, or fresh onions, tomatoes and bell peppers, also typical of the region. If you have the time, you could quickly make some of these easy flatbreads to go with them.
Ingredients:
- 250g minced beef
- 250g minced pork (optional – otherwise use 500g beef)
- 250g minced veal
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Flatbread to serve
- A little oil if you are cooking on a griddle pan
Method
In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork and veal (you could use lamb, instead) and add the onions, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper. Mix everything together really well with your hands. Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When you are ready to make the burgers, keep a bowl of water to your side to dip your hands into – moist hands will prevent the meat from becoming too sticky. Take a large, palm-sized portion of meat and form a flat burger, about the size of a small side plate and around 0.5cm in thickness. You could also place the meat between two sheets of clingfilm to form and flatten the burgers out – I found this to be the easiest way.
Repeat until all the meat is used up then place the burgers onto a tray, cover with clingfilm and leave them in the fridge for a further hour or so.
To cook, heat the barbecue or a large, oiled griddle pan. The burgers will cook in around five minutes – flip occasionally so that both sides are equally cooked.
Serve with warmed flat bread, cut in half horizontally, along with pickles, onions and peppers.