[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="New trends along with traditions welcome Ramadan" ids="147571,147570,147569"]
By Shahd Alhamdan
Saudi Gazette
FOR many people Ramadan is not only a month when the body, mind and soul should be spiritually charged, but also a period of year when Muslims fall back into their old habits.
Nowadays, many Saudi women are adding new trends to their Ramadan habits such as, lighting the houses, buying new thobes, accessories, flags, and glasses.
Some women, who were interviewed by Saudi Gazette, explained that they are decorating their houses because they want to have the old cozy feelings of Ramadan, while others believe that having new trends in this holy month is part of expressing happiness.
Heba Ahmed, a Saudi working woman in her 30s, said, “I usually like to buy new plates and glass, as well as, thobes and dresses that suits Ramadan’s atmosphere, and this shopping habit cheers me. I also decided for the first time to buy small candles and lamps for my kids and mother.”
Ilham Najm, another Saudi mother in her late 50s, explain that she likes to distribute gifts to her family members during Ramadan. “I like to buy and give people lanterns during Ramadan. I started this habit more than 6 years and I like to decorate the guest room. This year I decided to do something new and different. I lit up the whole house from inside and outside. I also hung a moon on the door,” she added.
“I bought for my parents ‘Subha’ prayer beads. I think it is a special gift for Ramadan. I also bought prayer book for myself to prepare myself for the holy month,” Rana, a Saudi female in her early 20s, said.
She added that this year she bought new Qur’an, thobes, abaya, and blanket for her bed. She said that since it is summer and vacation time, she wanted to refresh her mood and have special times during the holy month.
Sarah Khaled, a Saudi female in her 30s, said that during Ramadan she decorates the house and her office at work. She also buys new thobes and gifts for her close friends.
The new trends are being followed with the emphasis on the traditions of night prayers, fasting and charity.
Ramadan is a month of blessings to boost our piety. It is a month of blessings and also a month to increase our acts of worship. It is also a month when we have to establish goals, and maintain our schedule of worship.
The month also instills in us the will to read Qur’an. The month in which we are able to complete the Qur’an, will allow us to be more consistent in our lives to not only read the Qur’an daily even after Ramadan but also use it as a guide to face all the challenges in our lives.
Also in this month we practice fasting, which is beneficial to our health. And if we make this a habit, as this holy month prepares us for it, then not only would you become more healthy, but you would also give a thought to those who go without food and participate in more charity works.
The month fosters charity. The more you give in charity, the more you are rewarded with countless good deeds. It also instills in us the will to give — which should be regular. What better way to be thankful than to share it with the less fortunate. All these acts will eventually add up to make you a giving, caring human being.
