When the last ten days of Ramadan cast their shadows, the Jordanians’ memory evokes the beginnings of the month and those early preparations, so people say: Its great days and nights passed quickly amid feelings of spiritual connection between Muslims and the month of Ramadan, in which people live in the last third of it, seeking the Night of Decree.
Ramadan in Jordan has a long history of details in terms of faith, charity, and solidarity, as it is the month that mobilizes the feelings of Jordanians early. As the joy of the approaching Ramadan increases day by day, and the imams of the mosques are active in preparing them to receive the crowds of worshipers, while the markets change their features as a result of the decorations, needs and Ramadan food, not only this, but the people talk about tolerance, mercy, reform, kinship, love and brotherhood.
In Ramadan, Jordanians work with passion as they restore the ancient memory of Ramadan, including the authentic customs and traditions that they perform with joy. The entrances and balconies of homes, institutions and roads are full of decorations in forms that make Ramadan a month that has its unique faith value.
Receiving Ramadan is not like any other time, as old Amman (downtown) is the most beautiful place frequented by visitors to enjoy watching decorations, eating sweets, juices and food, and sitting in cafes, the Hashemite Square, and the Roman amphitheater, which hosts many events.
And because the good deeds in Ramadan are ten, the tables of the Most Merciful fill the mosques, homes and diwans, and the determinations and invitations addressed to relatives and friends spread among Jordanians, helping the needy and the poor, and paying zakat al-Fitr, so hearts meet to do good and compete to ease the financial burdens on the needy.
In Ramadan, visits among Jordanian families increase and group meetings around the dining table. Even today, some villages and popular neighborhoods preserve an ancient legacy that has declined in our time a lot, which is the exchange of food dishes before the Maghrib call to prayer, in a social custom called “Masakaba” so that the iftar meal becomes an “open buffet.” An atmosphere of compassion, love and intimacy prevailed.
And because Jordan received large numbers of refugees looking for safety, the “Nashami” is racing towards doing good in the areas and camps that witness during the holy month initiatives and campaigns for distributing food and in-kind items of all kinds.
The mosques announce the call to prayer in all regions of Jordan, as there are about seven thousand mosques and chapels, and the demand for the performance of the five daily prayers and Tarawih prayers increases in mosques, the recitation of the Qur’an and dhikr, and the organization of preaching, guidance and religious awareness sessions.
As for the Hashemite Scientific Councils, which are held annually by the Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites during the blessed month of Ramadan, under the royal auspices, under the title “Endowments of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein for Scientific Chairs”, in which a group of scholars, preachers and intellectuals from the Islamic world participate in the presence of His Majesty the King or whoever represents them from The princes discuss the issues and concerns of the Islamic nation and its problems according to a scientific methodology with wisdom and moderation, highlighting the role of scholars in guiding the nation and clarifying the provisions of the Sharia law and emphasizing the moderation of the message of Islam and advocating for it with wisdom and good advice.
Culture and art have a presence in Ramadan in Jordan, as the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism and youth centers organize Ramadan evenings that include cultural activities, competitions, games, singing, praises and chants that are held in public squares in various governorates of the Kingdom. Despite the variety of modern technology that people use to wake up to eat the “Suhoor” meal, as well as the change in lifestyle and style, the character (Al-Masaharati) in Jordan is still present in some neighborhoods, albeit in a very limited way, where someone volunteers to do this work out of faith in him. The necessity of preserving this cultural heritage that was associated with the month of Ramadan for a long period of time.
The introduction of technological and communication tools has changed many Ramadan habits and limited group meetings. However, the spirituality of Ramadan and its meanings return Jordanians to a state of harmony and social solidarity, which is increased by clan bonding and the charitable activity of associations. In Ramadan, Jordanian society becomes more close, participating, helping, and holding public and private banquets.
Among those banquets are the ones that Christian brothers hold for their Muslim brothers in Amman and the provinces. In Jordan, the one who returns to his home at sunset finds young men distributing water and dates at intersections. On the desert road in Jordan, banquets are held for passers-by, along with Christian youth brothers who organize initiatives “Iftar for a fasting person.” Some churches also hold Ramadan iftars that embody the state of harmony and living, setting the finest examples of affection and brotherhood among the people of the same country.
The Jordanian Ramadan table is diverse, as it is not much different from the dining table in the Levant and some Arab countries. In the past, simple popular dishes were inexpensive and depended on the ingredients of wheat, milk, ghee, meat, lentils, and a few vegetables.
As for today, the Ramadan table in Jordan abounds with many different meals with their names and forms. In addition to dates and water that precede the Maghrib prayer, it includes “soup”, whose most famous ingredients are lentils, vegetables, “vermicelli”, mushrooms or chicken broth. There are many types of “salad” consisting of various types of vegetables, in addition to some “appetizers” such as hummus, muttabal, pickles, and dairy, in addition to the main dish, which often contains rice with meat or chicken, or chicken dishes with vegetables, or “mahashi,” or the national dish. The famous Jordanian “Mansaf”, which is considered the master of the table, and it is a popular meal that is prepared with rice, “baladi” meat, “jameed” milk, and “saj” shrak bread. The Jordanian table is also famous for the famous “qatayef” dessert, which is the main dessert that Jordanians only eat In Ramadan only, in addition to “Kunafa” sweets and popular sweets such as Al-Awama, Karabeej Aleppo, Zainab’s Fingers, Hareesa, and others.
Juices in Jordan have rituals that have not changed despite modernity. Since the sixties of the last century, Jordanians in downtown Amman and in the old markets in the governorates flocked to buy juices, which are one of the main ingredients at the tables.
With the beginning of the holy month, the sector of Ramadan juices flourishes, as the movement of buying and selling them in shops, roads and markets is active in continuous rituals that Jordanians are keen on every year. There is hardly a crossroads without a herald calling for the sale of the most famous juices among Jordanians such as tamarind, liquorice, carob, lemon and Qamar al-Din.
Prayers rise in the last ten days of Ramadan, and Jordanians pray until dawn on the night of the twenty-seventh (the Night of Power), then prepare to pay zakat al-Fitr in what they call the days of reparation. That is, reparation for the thoughts of the poor and the needy, and the throats that say: May God not be lonely from you, O Ramadan, O month of generosity and benevolence, O month of goodness and benevolence.
And the last nights of Ramadan, Jordanian markets and squares are crowded with Eid preparations and the purchase of clothes, food and sweets. Al-Fatihah is for the deceased relatives and the greeting is for the elderly and the wombs, and the voices of the children are raised in their new clothes, rejoicing in the feast in which Muslims concluded the performance of the blessed month of fasting.
-(Petra)