Doha, Qatar, has its own rhythm of life. While this rise-eat-school-work-eat-relax-pray-sleep routine is generally dependent on your own culture, work and family circumstances in the Middle East, it is collectively shoehorned into a new beat during Ramadan.

Yes, the holiest month of Islam, dictates a different rhythm.

It does so for Muslims around the world, including 65% of the three million people who worship Allah in Qatar.

The adherence of the faithful to refrain from eating and drinking anything from sunrise to sunset, along with acts of worship like prayer, reading the Quran, and supporting charity, during Ramadan also affects everyone else in Qatar, regardless of their faith.

When I arrived in the Land of Sand in February 2022, I was so shell-shocked by the new climate, environment and mix of people and cultures, I failed to appreciate Ramadan, its impact, and the changes it brings to everyday life.

A year on, I am still learning.

I now know that Ramadan brings a new rhythm.

It is these changes that I share – that which I have seen and experienced – to give you a sense of what life is like in Doha, Qatar, during Ramadan.

Visual presence

Just as you know Easter and Christmas are coming because of the appearance throughout the shopping malls of bunnies and eggs, and tinsel and ho-ho-ho men in red respectively, so it is in Qatar.

Every shop abounds with “Ramadan Kareem” specials and there’s a sudden and prolific public sharing of beautiful lighting.

In the shops and markets, the special season is celebrated in the form of lanterns, lights, candles, coffee sets, dinner services and sweet treats. Dates and nuts are particularly popular, along with other high energy treats, to offset the realities of fasting from dawn till sunset.

But the commercial opportunities don’t stop here … everyone, but everyone, appears ready to “cash in” on this period of spiritual discipline. It is meant to be a time of deep contemplation of one’s relationship with God, of patience, of gratitude … but the special offers are to be found everywhere.

It’s much the same consumerism that accompanies key Christian celebrations. 

Anyway, a quick glance at the newspapers or social media posts and you’ll learn that everything from extra cell phone data to Iftar and Suhoor specials are there for the taking.

New words

Right, if those last words of Iftar and Suhoor have you stumped, you are not alone.

I have spent a year trying to get around all the Umm-, Al- and Bin-this or that street and other names – and now there are the Ramadan related words.

Iftar is the first meal after sunset. It’s the one at which Muslims break their day-long fast.

Suhoor is supposedly the meal eaten before dawn, but since the H was invited to such a meal from 9pm (by a non-Muslim at that) at a hotel, I think this second meal is flexible from a time perspective … But as shared, I am still learning.

Then there’s Eid al-Fir. That’s the holiday or the “festival of the breaking the fast” when Ramadan ends. It should be around 21 April, dependent on the appearance of the moon.

There’s Garangao too, a traditional children’s party which is celebrated half way through the month-long fast during which children get dressed up in bright traditional robes and carry a bag around their necks to collect sweets and nuts in the neighbourhood, while singing and dancing.

And then there’s Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha – the names for the different prayer times throughout the day, and Imsak when the daily fasting begins.

Of course, the call to prayer happens daily, but during Ramadan that call is louder and longer.    

Hearing the call

Prior to Ramadan, you’re aware of the “call to prayer” recordings as part of the background noise to life in the Middle East, but during Ramadan they “up the ante”.  

In fact, they also fire canons across different parts of the city to signal the breaking of the fast and Iftar.

I know this now, but on 23 March when this year’s Holy Month began, we were at Katara having a sedate amble along the beach front when the cannons were simultaneously fired.

As a South African, I almost hit the deck. My mind instantly went into overdrive as to how we might escape the fall-out of the bomb blast and any subsequent attack …

And yet, all around me families were unpacking their iftar picnic meals, while others were walking sedately to the nearby mosque.

Inverted way of life

The rhythm of Ramadan is such that day almost becomes night for the faithful.

Working and school hours are reduced. The 6am or 7am starts, for example, become 8am or 9am starts, and home time is anytime from midday. Afternoons are for sleeping, and the late evenings are for eating and connecting with family and friends.

Everything – and everyone else – adjusts to accommodate the changes.

Respect for culture

This means while the Muslims are fasting everyone else refrains from eating and drinking in public.

As far as I have seen, everyone complies.

Shops, restaurants

Many shops do not open during the fasting period, or only shortly, but will run into the small hours. Restaurants close too but enjoy rapid trade after sunset with Iftar and Suhoor meals.

The major supermarket chains often add extra hours to their normal trading period, so it is not unusual for shops to be open into the small hours.

This means shopping malls are generally devoid of shoppers during the day, which is wonderful for the likes of me. I can look at my leisure without being bustled at the sales rack.

Mind you, the poor shop assistants are usually so bored they tend to hover in the hope of at least one day-time sale!

Hangry traffic

Similarly, the roads are empty by day, but after 10pm they’re clogged – a bit like Cape Road at 5pm – and near gridlock is not uncommon at busy intersections.

There is also the worry of “hangry” driving. These are those fasting drivers who are so hungry, they are almost angry. The result: a great deal of “assertive” driving, with hooting reaching alarming levels. (Hooting is the norm here, but it appears to intensify during Ramadan).    

The best time to drive is during Iftar, as the fast is broken. 

No alcohol sales

Alcohol is a no-no at the best of times in Qatar. Who can forget the booze ban implemented just a few weeks ahead of the FIFA 2022 World Cup. While it was banned in the stadiums, visitors could still get their favourite tipple from the international hotels.

Right now, throughout Ramadan, however, no alcohol may be sold anywhere.

This includes the QDC or Qatar Development Corporation outlet – the only place in Qatar where permanent residents may buy alcohol outside of an international hotel.

And then there’s this …

This year the holy month of Ramadan coincided with the highpoint of the Christian calendar – Easter. (The Ramadan dates move by about ten days every year so they are never at the same time).

According to friends, acknowledgment of other faiths was once an absolute no-no. We know this is changing.

The establishment of the Religious Complex, is a case in point, and the reason why we are living in Doha today.