Azerbaijan Traditions in Ramadan

People of Azerbaijan get prepared for the holy month of Ramadan after the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (AS) on the 15th of Sha’ban (month) to welcome the month by dusting and cleaning the mosques.

They get ready to attend God’s invitation. The month of Ramadan is particularly sacred to them since the Holy Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammad (S) in this month.

Providing iftar (food to break the fast) to others, especially the poor, is regarded highly meritorious. They invite their friends, relatives and neighbors to join them for iftar.

According to them, Ramadan is a month marked by fasting and adults have an essential religious duty to fast. They call it “the fasting month”. 

When you see a new crescent it is the beginning of Ramadan. In the past, people of Azerbaijan believed that it had to be seen individually. They used to keep an eye out for the new crescent in the sky at the end of Sha’ban. This was regarded as worship.   

One week in advance, they clean and dust the mosques to welcome the auspicious month of Ramadan; they make special efforts in this regard. They actively participate in congregational prayers in this month.

Reciting the whole Qur’an at home or in neighboring mosques, providing the poor with food and following what is religiously recommended have become the folklore of Azerbaijan in this month.

At Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power)– when, the Holy Qur’an describes, “The angels and Gabriel descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair – pious Muslims of Azerbaijan spend the major part of the night praying, mourning and reciting the Holy Qur'an.

At the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS) (Ramadan 21), cities and towns of the province are black-clad. Aash – a traditional dish – is served during this day.

Azerbaijanis have various dishes to break their fast. Salt, local cookies, boiled water, date, rice pudding, soup, milk rice, broth, sweet paste and Aash are among the meals served at iftar time after the sunset when believers have light meals to break their fast.

Dozens of other ceremonies were also repeated in Ramadan, namely wakening up neighbors for sahar (start for fasting) shortly before dawn during Ramadan, giving iftar to friends and relatives, and so on. 

The end of Ramadan, called Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Fast-Breaking), starts when the new crescent is seen on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar. Azerbaijani people take part in congregational prayers, either in a mosque or an open space outside the city and offer charity to the poor.

Cities and villages take on a festive look while people wear their best clothes. Friends, relatives and neighbors meet in mosques and on streets, visit one another exchanging congratulations and embraces. In other words, they hold the Eid like the New Year’s ceremony.  

SN/SRM/IS
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MNA