我剛到孟加拉的時候，我的主管就一直跟我說再過一陣子他們就要齋戒了，到時候會如何如何。我覺得很困惑，因為我除了知道穆斯林們不能吃東西外沒有任何概念。為什麼要這樣對待自己呢? 這背後的意義到底何在? 為什麼餓了一整天還要吃這些乾巴巴的食物，這不是很...
於是我決定採取人類學家般的精神去挖掘背後的意義，學習用同理心的方式瞭解一個陌生得世界。幸運地在我第一次田野時的不幸讓我得到了充足的時間和機會和一個行齋戒的穆斯林(我的翻譯員)獨處並觀察這個儀式。
When I just arrived in Bangladesh, my supervisor told me that we were going to have Ramadan and how we would do during this month. I was confused because what I had known was that Muslim can't eat anything during the day. Why do they treat themselves like that? What's the meaning behind that? Why do they still have the dry food after suffering hunger for whole day?
To get the answer, I decide to take the spirit of anthropologist to discover the meaning. Luckily, I got the chance to stay alone with a Muslim who was my interpreter to observe this ritual due to my unfortunate days in my first field trip
在田野第二天早上他跟我說:
On the morning of the second day, he told me
嘿，昨天半夜有人敲你房門嗎? 昨天半夜一直有人敲我房門害我不太敢出去，今天我不齋戒了我們一起去吃早餐吧
Hey, did anyone knock your door last night again and again, I was afraid to go outside so I wouldn't fasting today, let's go and have breakfast.
我:蛤，不是齋戒月嗎?
Me: What? But this month is Ramadan, right?
他:我昨天半夜沒吃，今天不齋戒
He:I didn't eat at midnight, I wouldn't fasting today
我:什麼半夜吃東西？？？？？＃＠＄＄＃
Me: Eating at midnight? what??!!?
在這樣的機緣下我詢問了有關許多齋戒月的事也讓我對這儀式有了更深的瞭解和尊敬
I got more understanding of Ramadan and also show respect to this ritual due to this contigency
原來齋戒月就是: 在這一段時間裡，穆斯林們在日出以後就不能吃任何東西(連喝水也不行)。那齋戒月有多久呢? 事實上每個地區，每年都不一樣因為一切都要跟去月亮的運行來決定。
在許多回教國家都有一個專門在觀測月亮來決定何時開始齋戒月和相關儀式的機構。在 這個月裡，穆斯林什麼時候才能吃西呢? 當然就是日出以前和日落以後囉。
所謂的日出前就是凌晨3:30~4:00 間，這段期間穆斯林會起床飽餐一頓(所以妳可以看到在夜半時分餐廳大爆滿的奇景)因為接下來要禁食一整天。這也是為什麼我的朋友說他凌晨沒吃今天無法齋戒 的原因。而日落後指的是大概在6:30~19:00 每天都不一樣，這一餐有一個別的名稱叫Iftar。由清真寺統一宣佈解除齋戒，而日落後的這一餐就是Iftar。通常大夥兒都會在6:00~6:30間準備好食物放在桌上但是不會吃，直到清真寺宣佈解除齋戒。
What's Ramadan? The Ramadan is a month that Muslim can't eat anything( even drink water) before sunset. How long is this month? Actually it depends on the places and the moon. there is a organization who takes the responsibility to observe the moon to declare when is Ramadan and other related rituals. So when can they eat in this month? The answer are the period after sunset and before sunrise. The period before sunrise means that 3:30~4:00, During this period, there is a call from mosque and people will get together in restaurant to eat a lot because they can't eat anything later in the day. Thus you may have chance to see crowded restaurant during 3:30~4:00. The period after sunrise means the time between 18:30~19:00. This meal has a special name called Iftar. The mosque will call people to break the fasting. Usually, people will prepare food around 6:00~6:30. But what they do is just prepare, they won't eat until heard the call from mosque.
Iftar
All dry food, you need to mix all food by hand like the right one
Iftar(in entrance of my hotel)
shared iftar, people usually have iftar everywhere
Iftar In the most high-end shopping mall in Dhaka
(Just imaging that all people sit and eat in each floor of Taipei 101!!)
那齋戒的意義到底是什麼呢? 其實在古蘭經裡面，齋戒是希望讓所有人，特別是有錢人都能體會貧窮人的生活進而能將心比心愛護自己的同胞。這也是為什麼在傳統的Iftar裡看得到的只有乾食。因為窮人吃不起有汁水的食物(例如羊肉咖哩)。
What's the meaning of Ramadan? In Quran, The goal of Ramadan is to let all people feel the life of poor people and then sympathy them. This is also a reason that there is only dry food in traditional Iftar since the poor people can't afford juicy food, mutton curry for example.
而我最後一個疑問(和齋戒月無關)是:為什麼穆斯林總是用手吃飯呢?
原來是因為在伊斯蘭教的一個偉大先知是這樣做的，所以穆斯林們便跟隨了他
My last question(it's not associated with Ramadan):Why Muslim eat by hand? The answer is that because the Great Prophet eat by hand. Thus Muslim follow the Great Prophet
上面這些儀式會讓非穆斯林的我感到很奇怪困惑，但若試著以同理心去理解和探討所看到現象在異文化中的定位和意義，奇怪與困惑變成了欽佩與尊敬。如果這個世界能夠多一點同理，不直接依照我們的既定刻板印象去評斷任何我們陌生的事物，這世界是否會更美好呢?
Ramadan and Iftar made me who is non-Muslim feel strange and confused at first. However, if I look from other people's side to find the meaning and proposition of any phenomenon. The feeling at first became admire and respect. If there are more people can sympathy other in this world, we don't judge every strange things by our own stereotype, would this world become better?
此外，我認為同理在做社會企業也是相當重要的一環，接下來的系列Grameen Dannone的故事跟大家分享這一點:)
In addition, I think sympathy is crucial to do social business. I will share this in the following series: Stories of Grameen Dannone.
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