Flowers for Ramadan

The sighting of the new moon on June 29^th 2014 heralded the coming of Ramadan, for Muslims. 

image c/o freedigitalphotos.net

It is traditional in certain parts of the Middle East and North Africa, to fill the house with flowers, for the month of Ramadan and our floral design studio has been busy this month preparing gorgeous bouquets of fresh summer blooms, as the orders have come flooding in, from London’s diverse Muslim communities.

image c/o freedigitalphotos.net

With so much talk of Ramadan this month, and so many orders, we thought we’d find out a bit more about Ramadan, so we could share its lovely traditions with you. And we discovered, that not only do flowers play a large part in Ramadan and Eid, but in some Islamic communities around the globe, flowers are eaten, too! Ramadan, it seems, is a month of fasting, festivities, food and flowers…

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim year, and is observed by strict fasting from dawn until sunset. Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking during Ramadan fasting.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, and is considered one of the main forms of Islamic worship. Pregnant women and children are not expected to fast. During Ramadan, Muslims request forgiveness for the sins of the past. Fasting is considered to be making amends for sins, mistakes and faults. Acts of charity are strongly encouraged during this time.

In Indonesia, a month of festivity engulfs the country, as families wake around 3am each day to share a traditional pre-dawn meal. And many will welcome the month of Ramadan by covering the graves of loved ones in beautiful blooms.

When the fasting is done for the day, so reports one of our Muslim friends, the craving for Middle Eastern deserts descends with a vengeance! Many such deserts contain a flower much loved by England (and much of the world), the humble rose. Rose Water is essential in the Middle Eastern kitchen. And it is delicious. The best known sweet containing rose water, is probably the light, squidgy and delicious Turkish Delight, but there are many more. There’s a whole host of recipes on the BBC website utilizing Rose Water.

Apparently, (and we must admit, we have yet to try this), you can make rose water yourself at home, quite easily. It must be made with roses that have been grown using no chemicals or pesticides, so, for you keen gardeners out there, you’ll be pleased to know, it is best to use roses you have grown yourself.

 

image c/o freedigitalphotos.net

A warning: Don’t eat flowers that have not been grown for that purpose. Flowers not grown for consumption may contain dangerous chemicals. Our flowers are not suitable for consumption.

On the sighting of the next new moon, on July 29^th 2014, the fast is ended, with a celebration called Eid-Al-Fitr (the feast of fast-breaking). This is an extremely important religious date for Muslims, and acts of charity, forgiveness and celebration are encouraged. It is a chance for Muslims to spend time with family and share a feast.

In the UK, there have been some fabulous community-minded innovations surrounding Ramadan’s feasts. We particularly loved ‘Dine@Mine’, which aimed to foster deeper understanding of Islamic culture, through food. The initiative invited Muslims in the UK to invite strangers into their home, to share Iftar, which is the meal that opens the fasting. This great article from Huma Qureshi for the Guardian Newspaper, is a personal account of such an enlightening experience. Well, unfortunately, Dine@Mine doesn’t seem to be running anymore, which we think is a real shame! If we are mistaken, or you know of a similar initiative that is currently running, please tell us. 

However, among the Muslim communities of Great Britain it seems that there have always been, and will always be, those who invite strangers in, to share their food, charity and positivity, during Ramadan.

Elegant Rose- Design by Lily Blossom

In Trafalgar Square, London, an Eid Festival is held annually, to celebrate this time and bring diverse communities together. This year it is taking place on Saturday 2^nd August, and promises to be both delicious and entertaining, with a range of food on offer, including Malaysian, Turkish, South Asian, Egyptian, Indonesian and more. There will be plenty for the children to do, including henna, face -painting, calligraphy and sports. Check out London.gov.uk here for details on how to get there, and what’s on. It promises to be a great event, and a lovely opportunity to learn about the various facets of Islamic culture.

If you are celebrating Eid-Al-Fitr, have invited non-Muslims into your home to celebrate Eid with you, or have yourself been invited, we would love for you to share your experiences, and your recipes with us here at LilyBlossom, especially if they contain flowers!

If you visit the Eid Festival at Trafalgar Square, send us your pictures.

And finally, to those of us celebrating Eid tomorrow, Lily Blossom say :

“Eid Saeed!”

“Happy Eid!”