In the Comoros, Ramadan begins long before the first fast. From the start of Sha'ban, the month before, villages get ready together.
Preparing the month
Mosques are restored, repainted and decorated, and old lamps are replaced with new ones. Families stock up on groceries and provisions. Many weddings take place during Sha'ban, so that new couples can begin married life with the blessings of the holy month, and community elders meet to settle disputes, whether personal, between families or within the village.
On the night the crescent is watched for, people go out into the streets with torches. As soon as it is sighted, drummers walk through the villages to celebrate the beginning of Ramadan, and many stay awake until suhoor.
Families around one table
Ramadan is the month of reunions. Large banquets are organised in front of mosques, and the poor are invited to share the meal. Each family gathers its members around the same table for iftar, a moment to talk about the day and to prepare for the next.
Giving
It is the month when those who can help those who cannot. Families exchange special gifts, and zakat al-fitr is carefully respected: households do their best to set it aside, even when they have little.
The Ramadan table
The iftar table is generous: tea, soup with grilled rice and meat, grilled dishes, fries, bread soaked in a vegetable or meat broth, potatoes, sambusa, meat and fish. Rice is rarely served at iftar. The meal that matters most is suhoor, before dawn: one may take iftar lightly, but never skip suhoor.
Farewell to Ramadan
The month ends with songs of farewell and with Eid al-Fitr. Children, adults and elders put on new clothes and go to the mosque together; every child receives new clothes from parents or family. Celebrations take place across the country to mark the end of the fast and to give thanks for having lived another Ramadan.
*This story was first told on Kuwait Television, Channel 2, on 29 April 2021.*
