CASABLANCA: In Hay Sedri, a popular district of Casablanca, Morocco, the streets are empty, the shops are closed and there is a perceptible calmness in the air. It is 7 p.m. and the residents of the neighborhood are having iftar after over 15 hours of fasting.
Said, who is 28, has just finished eating and lies down for a few minutes so that his body can adapt to the shock of breaking the fast. He has not eaten much because an important ritual still awaits him.
At 8:30 p.m., Said joins his childhood friend Mehdi in front of his building. They have already done their ablutions and are now heading to the mosque to perform Isha, the last prayer of the day. “For at least 10 years we have been walking this same route every evening during the month of Ramadan, to perform the prayer and Taraweeh,” Said tells Arab News in French.
“During the holy month, we try to get as close as possible to our faith,” says Mehdi. “It’s an opportunity for us to start a new page and try to adopt healthier habits in our lives,” he continues.
During the month of Ramadan, Isha prayer is followed by Taraweeh prayers, which are not obligatory but highly recommended. Specific to the holy month, they consist of eight additional prayer units in addition to the four of Isha.
While many people only do two or four extra units of prayer, Said and Mehdi strive to do all eight. “We are still young and we won’t have anything important to do after the prayer, so we prefer to do the whole Taraweeh,” says Said.
In Morocco, as in other Muslim countries, Taraweeh prayers are very popular with the faithful. They can be performed alone or in groups, at home or at the mosque. In Casablanca, the mosques are often full and bursting, like the Hassan II mosque, which has thousands of worshippers every evening, many of whom line up on its esplanade. The mosque’s enclosure and esplanade can accommodate up to 100,000 worshippers.
Spirituality is omnipresent during the holy month in Casablanca and the nights are long. People often sleep late because the last meal of the evening must be eaten before 4:50 a.m. Some prefer to sleep and then wake up to eat while others prefer to go out and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the holy month.
For Hanane, Ramadan evenings also rhyme with culture. “There is an explosion of cultural events during the month of Ramadan,” the 25-year-old Casablanca native, who works in events management, tells Arab News in French. “For me, it’s an opportunity to quench my thirst for culture and to experience new things,” she says.
The latest event was a musical evening in a lounge in Ain Diab (Corniche de Casablanca) dedicated to Tarab Al-Andalussi, in other words Arab-Andalusian music, a great chapter in Moroccan cultural heritage. “The atmosphere was almost mystical, I’ve never been much of a fan of this style of music, but when you attend, the atmosphere sucks you into a soothing whirlwind,” she says.
Hanane explains that during the holy month, the people of Casablanca have a wide choice of cultural activities. There are evenings dedicated to sacred music and reading of the Qur’an or theological discussions. Other events include heritage tours organized by the Casablanca Memory Association.
At the stroke of midnight, as the shops begin to close, many Casablancans head to the Corniche, one of the nerve centers of the economic capital. There they meet friends, walk along the beach, have a bite to eat, or simply take a drive, just to enjoy the cool night air before going home to prepare for another day of fasting.
