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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsFunny story while donating blood today
I donate at a large hospital.Three of the staff are Muslim. One of them is a middle aged really wonderful lady of @ 50. I'll call her S.
I asked S if she was observing Ramadan. I usually try to do so every year. She said of course she and her family were. I expressed some sympathy for having to forego food for such a long time each day. She told me it was from 4AM to 8:40 here.
As I was being prepped for donation by another nurse (I will call her T) S walked by and I asked if they were at least able to drink water. S said no, no food, no drink.
T was surprised by this and commented how tough it must be. S nodded her head.
I interjected that at least next year it wouldn't be quite as bad since it starts 30 days earlier the next year. S said she really likes the years it lands in December.
T said "Doesn't that really screw up your Christmas?" S had a kind of puzzled look on her face. So I said "S is a Muslim." T responded "So what does that have to do with it?" And almost as soon as she said it, she realized what she said.
S started laughing and T did, too with a very sheepish grin. I asked S if that bothered her at all and she said "Nope. Best laugh I've had in a long time."
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)While they did not celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas,
they did decorate and exchange gifts with us.
rurallib
(62,416 posts)and many call it christmas.
I actually gave an emergency donation on christmas a few years back and one of the Muslim nurses drew on me. She told me about their celebration of "longest night" that had many similarities to Christmas.
Fla Dem
(23,677 posts)Christmas is a good example. The 12 days of Christmas actually relates to a Druid mid winter festival.
hibbing
(10,098 posts)LeftInTX
(25,363 posts)How do they do it?
onethatcares
(16,168 posts)try to fast for a full day here in the states. Or just go for 12 hours of nothing to eat or drink.
I can only do it overnite while I'm sleeping.
rurallib
(62,416 posts)and I could drink water.
Response to LeftInTX (Reply #4)
Skittles This message was self-deleted by its author.
Massacure
(7,523 posts)I'm trying to figure out why December would be so bad, and that is the only thing I can think of - December 21 being the longest day instead of June 21.
Come to think of it, I wonder if there are any Muslims at any of the antarctic research stations. At McMurdo for example, the sun never set between October 23, 2016 and February 18, 2017.
rurallib
(62,416 posts)but that makes me think maybe the Muslim world should move to Australia when Ramandan comes during May - August.
you know - if Mohammed won't go to the mountain, then the mountain must come to Mohammed kind of thing.