SHARING IS CARING
BY NAZEEM DAVIDS
CAPE Town’s Cape Malays have long followed unwritten seasons.
First, it is Malay choir season. Then we play Kaapse Klopse.
Following that, we prepare for the pwasa and fasting during the holy month of Ramadaan.
And finally, those fortunate enough, prepare to go on Hadj, the pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
Klopse and Malay choirs is klaar en nou is dit tyd vir pwasa!
The word “pwasa” is derived from the Malay/Indonesian word puasa, which means “fasting”.
This reflects the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Cape Malay people, whose ancestors came from Southeast Asia.
The same applies to the term “boeka”, a Malay term which means to break, referring to breaking the fast at the end of the day.
Sadly, the use of these phrases and terms are slowly declining amongst the Muslim youth. Younger generations are starting to use global terms like “iftar” to break the fast and Eid instead of Labarang.
Even the beautiful tradition of children “taking koekies away to the neighbours” and thereby sharing what everyone has made – is also fading.
So what is the pwasa all about? The month of Ramadaan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast from pre-dawn to sunset, a fast of between 11-16 hours, depending on the time of year, for a period of 29-30 days.
Ramadaan entails forgoing food and drink, and if married, abstaining from sex during the day.
Muslims welcome Ramadaan as an opportunity for self-reflection, spiritual improvement and growth. Ramadaan is also a highly-social time, as Muslims invite each other to break their fast together and meet for prayers at the mosque.
The ultimate goal of fasting is gaining greater God-consciousness, known in Arabic as taqwa, which means a state of constant awareness of God.
From this awareness, a person should gain discipline, self-restraint, and a greater incentive to do good and avoid wrong.
In commemoration of the revelation of the Qur’an, which began in the month of Ramadaan, Muslims attempt to read the entire book during this period.
The entire Qur’an is also recited during special nightly prayers.
All Muslims who have reached puberty are obligated to fast.
However, people for whom fasting would be a hardship are exempted from fasting.
This includes anyone who is sick or travelling; women who are pregnant, nursing, or menstruating; or older people who are too weak or ill to fast.
They should make up the fast later, except for those who cannot fast due to age or chronic illness.
Instead, they can feed a poor person for every day of fasting which they miss.
Children are not required to fast until they reach puberty. However, it is customary for children, beginning around seven years of age, to perform limited or symbolic fasting, such as fasting for half days or on weekends.
A Muslim family usually rises before dawn and eats a modest, breakfast-like meal called souertyd in Cape Town.
After the meal, the family performs the morning prayer, and depending on the circumstances, goes back to bed or begins the day.
Particularly during the long summer months, people often take a nap in the late afternoon after work or school.
At sunset, family members break the fast with a few dates and water, and depending on the culture, other light foods such as soup, appetisers or fruit, after performing the sunset (maghrieb) prayers, the family eats dinner.
Many families then go to the mosque for the night prayer and a special Ramadaan prayer called Taraweeh.
After completing their prayers, families return home often quite late in the evening depending on the time of year.Ramadaan is a time for Muslims to be especially charitable and fasting helps Muslims feel compassion for the hungry and less fortunate, many mosques and NGOs hold food drives or fundraisers for charity during Ramadaan.
Hundreds of pots of food are cooked all over the Western Cape to feed the less fortunate and long queues line up outside mosques for a plate of food.
The traditional foods for Muslims across Cape Town have always been soup or boeboer, daltjies (chilli bites), samoosas, pies, bollas, fritters and pancakes, etc.
Lovely as they are, these are not the healthiest of foods and many families now include lighter and healthier dishes into their boeka, such as grilled meats and vegetables, fresh fruit salads and whole-grain breads and rice.
I have fond memories of my two non-muslim colleagues joining us for boeka time and eating so much that they had to loosen their belts afterwards.
Non-muslim childhood friends would wait for boeka time to get their share of the treats or taking leftovers to school for non-fasting classmates, these are memories I cherish to this day as it reminds me of how important community is.
In these times of hardship and division, Ramadaan is truly a time for sharing with others, whilst uplifting yourself spiritually and physically.InnieKaap wishes all those who will be fasting a blessed Ramadaan. May we all make the most of this blessed month. Lekker pwasa, mense.
The month of Ramadaan isn’t just about fasting, it’s about the community
