Ramadan Prayers in Morocco

Muslims do not believe that acknowledgement of their prophet will get them into paradise.  Unlike some Christians for whom belief in Jesus and baptism is enough to get them into heaven, or Catholics who can seek expiation for their sins from their priests, Muslims believe that every one of us will be judged individually and that each person has to ask forgiveness directly from our Creator. 

Ramadan is a  special time each year when through fasting and prayer, we can seek atonement, forgiveness, blessings and mercy. There are extended, optional prayers every night at the mosque.  Thousands of people gather for at each mosque all over Morocco for 90 minutes or so for these prayers.

With the call to Isha, the last obligatory prayer of the day after the sun has set, there is a Quranic recitation abt 10 or 15 minutes long as people gather in and outside the mosque. Once the recitation ends, the imam leds isha, the night prayer that has 4 rakats.  Each rakat is a complete cycle of standing, bowing and prostrating.  Standing again is the beginning of the next rakat.

Then the imam leads 8 rakats of taraweh, the special prayers that can only  be  made during the nights of  Ramadan each year.  Finally, some imams leads  2  rakats of  the  witr prayer. Many people pray a single witr rakat on their own before leaving the mosque. Other imams pray a 3rd rakat and include in it the qunut--the part formulaic and part spontaneous pleading while standing end of the witr prayer--lasts about 5 or 10 minutes.

It's hard to guage the time while in prayer, but the experience is truly powerful. Regardless of our level of understanding the Arabic, it is almost impossible to not feel the meaning during the qunut: to hear a grown man's voice break in his plea for Allah's forgiveness and His Mercy, to hear people around you crying softly; to see that you are among the thousands people at just that one mosque who have come voluntarily out of fear for their souls; to know that you are surrounded by people who are crying for mercy and forgiveness.
  
During the last 10 days of Ramadan  there are additional late night prayers in the Moroccan mosques. These are another 10 rakats of taraweh prayer that end with a long pleading for forgiveness, mercy, and blessings for ourselves; for our families; and for the less fortunate.  These prayers last another 90 minutes or so, and finish just in time for people to go home and eat before the start of another day of fasting.

The fast of Ramadan can be taxing, and those who are physically unable are allowed to either make the days up later or in other ways.  But the taraweh prayers are open to anyone who can make it out of the house.  People come walking and in wheelchairs.  Those who are not able to stand for long periods or have difficulty prostrating bring stools, camp chairs, folding chairs and lawn chairs.  Some just stay seated on their prayer rugs.

Some people are able to go to the mosque every night. Some only as their schedule permits. Some make their prayers in their homes.Some do not make them at all.  Those who do make the extra prayers during Ramadan find immense spiritual benefits that only come once a year.

A Bus to Casablanca

There was a 5:30 a.m. taxi ride to the bus which was parked outside of the  bus driver's house.  As his first customers, the family and I had our pick of seats and sat right up front.  It turns out the driver is a friend of the brother-in-law of a daughter-in-law of the family.  Isn't it always not what you know, but who you know?

After 30 minutes and 2 more customers, we left.  For the downtown bus terminal.  Another 45 minutes passed as we waited for the bus to fill.  And those prime front seats we had?  We were told apologetically to move back 4 rows.  The impenetrable Arabic explanation left the reason why a mystery to me.  In any case, the bus to Casablanca finally got underway.

In the Morrocan Arabic dialect, there are at least a couple of words for bus.  The please-get-me-to-work-on-time bus is called a toe-bis (not making this up).  The city-to-city variety is called a car (still not making this up).  I guess it's the same in America, where the lowly form of  bus transportation tries to elevate itself by use of the word "coach".

If you travel by style in a car, make sure you take a look to see if there are windows all around the back of it.  Know what that means?  No bathroom. Very common. On the 3 hour trip to Casablanca, it's a good time to heed mom's advice, "You should of gone before you went".

The Uselessness of Ice Cubes

Wikipedia photo

My new refrigerator came with a plastic tray for little teeny ice cubes.  I mean teeny.  You could fill the individual spaces with an eye dropper. I asked a friend to bring some ice cube trays on her visit to Morocco. I shouldn't have bothered.

Ice cubes are useless in drinks when it's 107 degrees. By the time you drop the ice in your water and go from the kitchen to the living room, your cup has already self-combusted.

Here is what to do instead:

1. Reuse your plastic water bottles or wash out and recyle your 2-liter soda bottles.  
2. Fill all of them about 2/3 full with water and toss into the freezer. 
3. When completely frozen, remove and add water on top. 

The frozen bottle of ice lasts much longer than a few measley ice cubes, no matter their size.

Just something I learned here in Marrakech.

The Doors

Moroccans have a unique sense of style when it comes to doors for their homes or businesses.

The scrollwork at the top of this Moroccan door is echoed in the painting at the bottom.

The grillwork on this Moroccan door is broken up by blue stone at the middle and bottom.

Businesses with their heavy, 10 foot steel doors are also receive a decorative treatment.  Few places are left unadorned.  Plain, solid-colored doors are the exception rather than the rule in Marrakech.

The black and beige steel doors in Marrakech are separated by a green and gray tile pattern.

5 Things You Need on a Trip to Morocco

If you are thinking about visiting Morocco, here are some things you may want to bring with you:

1. A French-English dictionary. If you don't already speak Arabic, and don't have the time to devote to learning it, a bit of French will be quite useful. French is also the language of all things medical, in case you get sick.

2. Hair care products for black hair. Yes, you are in Africa, but you are in Berber country. If you are going no further south than, say Marrakech, you will find most of the Moroccans are of Berber or Arab descent. Plan accordingly.

4. Deoderant for sensitive skin.  Anti-perspirants are plentiful.  If you can't wear these pore-clogging products, you should bring your preferred brand with you.  I haven't seen plain deoderants of any brand here.

3. Thick-soled walking shoes, sneakers or sandals. The sidewalks are often gravel-strewn from all the new construction around (in Marrakech, at least). Ballet flats or thin-soled sandals are uncomfortable when doing a lot of walking.

4. Hand sanitizer. For times soap and water are not readily available.

5. You may, to put it delicately, need a clue.

4 Ways to Beat the Heat in Marrakech

We are in the middle of our first heat wave of the summer.  It is currently 102.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be 107. The forecast is for 9 straight days of triple-digit weather.  It is just May.  Here are some tips based on my observation of the locals:

1.  Leave town.  Marrakech is inland and unrelentingly hot. Locals find a host of long lost relatives and friends who live somewhere on  the coast (read: near a beach)  to visit during the summer. Don't bother giving your aunt the line about how much you suddenly missed her.  You come every summer.  She's already expecting you.  (If you don't know anyone in places like Tangier or Agadir, you can always rent a house in a tourist town like Essaouria).

2.  Psyche yourself out.  There seems to be a widespread perception that temperatures that reach only up into the 80's are cold.  All breezes are also cold.  Almost everyone is still wrapped in at least 2 layers of clothing during such weather. Their parents start dressing them this way as babies. So don't put away those jackets or winter undershirts yet.

3.  Turn off that a/c or fan.  What happens when you go outside after lounging around  in that artificially-cooled environment?  You sweat buckets from the shock of the sudden change in temperature, that's what.  You will actually sweat less if  allow your body to acclimate itself to the heat. Although I doubt this was on your to-do list of New Year's resolutions (and don't get heatstroke/heat exhaustion while trying this out).

4. If all else fails, you can always put on a movie, relax or take a nap  until the sun goes down.  What else could I recommend but Casablanca?

Life on the Edge

In Morocco extended families are the norm.  Most people contribute time, money, childcare, senior care, what ever is needed for the family unit to run as smoothly as possible.  Life moves somewhat more seamlessly from one decade to the next. I'm not romanticising it; I'm just suggesting that in extended family life, the transition between decades may not be so angst-ridden as it is for many Americans.

In just a little while my friend will slip into her next decade, the 60's, and she has very mixed feelings about it.  The way she looks at it, the teens, 20's and 30's are cool.  The 40's are depressing, marking the beginning of that Big Downhill Slide.  The 50's are cool though, as she achieved the ineffable cache of being "a woman of a certain age".

But now, facing the big 6-0, life feels different.  If this part of  her life were a film, then in it she has been standing for some time on the edge of a cliff.  Now without any segue, she's hanging by her fingernails.

According to Islamic tradition, many Muslims die at the age of 63, with Allah sparing them the infirmities of old age.  According to the shorter, lunar Islamic calendar she's already passed 60 and is nearer to that chronological milestone  (on this point we both hope that Allah goes by the calendar of the country of birth).  She doesn't feel ready to face her end.  As she put it, " I feel like I have to give Allah a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation of my life, and I'm still working on slide #4".

I tried to console her:  just as 13 and 14 are beginner-teen years, the  60's are simply beginner-old age.  She didn't appreciate my observation, though. Go figure.

The support of the extended family in Morocco eases the passage of life from one decade to the next.  I pray that my being here means that when it's time for me to let go of that cliff edge, I will have a soft landing.























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