Sunday, September 12, 2010

A New Kind of Celebration

Last Friday found me celebrating something I had never celebrated before. A new co-worker of ours who joined in the Spring had called in and asked if everyone could get together. What we would celebrate with him? The end of Ramadan! This was new to me! We had been aware that our new Libyan employee had been fasting, but we did not know how he'd commemorate the end of fasting. He explained to us that this day was like Christmas for him and he wanted to spend it with his new "family" at work! So, we all grouped ourselves into one of the offices and enjoyed the treats he'd brought: cake, fruit salad, figs and dates. He explained that to break the fast you eat the figs first then move on to the other stuff. Fun! He was dressed in traditional attire that day and looked stunning in striped satin pants and vest, white tunic, felt hat and sandals. And the smile he wore was wonderful! He was so pleased we could all get together. We ate and ate, talked about the holiday, learned words in Arabic and took lots of pictures. It was just like a little Christmas in the middle of September! Finally, we picked up plates of left overs and retreated to our separate corners of the building. I loved the experience! I was able to learn about a new holiday, learn new words, learn new traditions. We were all able to celebrate with a friend whose family is miles and miles away (who he had to call at 3am the night before to make up for the 12 hour time difference!). There was an atmosphere of giving and understanding and comfort and friendship that day. It was a heart-warming celebration and I'm glad I participated. It is amazing how much you can learn from those around you, and I felt honored that our sweet new member of the team considers all of us part of his family. *insert warm fuzzies here*

Yes, sadly the only picture I obtained myself
was of the cake. Though it was quite delicious!


Many blessings! (If only I could remember the Arabic version of that phrase...)

14 comments:

  1. Wow - what a fantastic opportunity! I've had lots of Muslim colleagues and have enjoyed good times with them, but never celebrated Big Eid (I think that's what it's called, isn't it?) Thanks so much for writing about this. I found it really encouraging, especially after recent news events which have reached France. You show the really possitive side of your wonderful country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great event! I am so glad you have such a wonderful new person in your life. I know he makes work fun and interesting. And that cake looks lovely! Was it as tasty too?...LOL LYS

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, I also have 3 colleagues fasting this year but unfortunately foe me I was away on the Thursday when they broke their fast..oh well. The cake looks lovely. Its wonderful that you were all involved in such a great day :) Tamara

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful post - your co-worker must feel very welcome at work to want to celebrate with all of you, and it was a good experience for everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awe I love this story! I am religious and traditional and I love sharing my beliefs with others and I love learning about other's beliefs, religious or not. I think it shows how you can open minded and learn of others. I love your office family!

    Rachael

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yay! The big candy feast! What a beautiful way to break it too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think it's great that your co-worker wanted to celebrate the end of Ramadan with all of you :-) What a great opportunity for you to get to know him better, and to learn about his beliefs and his first language. It's wonderful to see people from different backgrounds enjoying a special event together :-)

    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  8. A very close friend of mine was also celebrating the end of Ramadan too. How wonderful that your coworker also celebrated with you! xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Now that's what we need to hear. In the wake of news such as the terror group found in Montreal, and the likes, people become fearful and suspicious. Education is the answer and learning about the Muslim culture and seeing the values of family, religion and celebration that are such a large part of their beliefs is crucial. Thank you for sharing this with us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. lol! I do that all the time, after a fun event I'll look back on my photos and they're mostly of the food, haha :) It is really great to learn from those around us, great blog you have!!! ♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cool, different cultures are so interesting.
    Your cat is adorable
    http://washingtondcfashion.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  12. That sounds so lovely and fun...Kisses and hugs

    Ps: I am hosting a sweet jewelry GIVEAWAY today :) Hope you will join in!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. (Thanks Diana! I already entered myself for your giveaway! Looks AWESOME!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Not having been born in this country, I can really appreciate the sharing of traditions from your homeland with others.
    God bless, Evi

    ReplyDelete

Older Posts