The Lambertville record., 1888-08-15
DURING THE RAMADAN.
FASTING IN DAYTIME AND FAST
ING AFTER SUNSET.

Scenes In Syrian Town-Magic Changes
Brought About by the Boom of the
Sunset Cumulative Concert-Conscien-
tiousness.
It was q Massachusetts, boy, believe, who
said ho preferred fast to Thanksgiving, be-
cause after Thanksgiving you had to live on
pickings, bub there was always a good,
square meal to make up for the fast" Mo-
hammedanism agrees with the boy from
Massachusetts,. 1t believes in compensation.
Ramadan is the yearly month Of fasting
daytimes, but from sunset to sunrise the
Moslem may feast on what he pleases Rama
dan follows the lunar division of the months
and fails about ten days earlier every year,
so that the number Of hours In the twenty
four when the people must fast varies ac-
cording as the sacred month comes in sum-
mer or in winter. After the fast there are
three days of feasting, when the Moslems,
decked out in their best, indulge in oil sorts
of amusements.
The other day thought that would pass
through certain Moslem district about sun
set. Expectancy reigned. In the cafes, in
the shops, in the street, every one was wait
ing for something, was preparing for some-
with fresh loaves of bread in their hands
An old Moslem with long robe and white
beard passed mo carrying a narghili all pre-
pared for use Small boys bore along little
plates of salad, which came from an impro-
vised shop at corner, where lank man in
blue sat on stool turning out salads as fast
as he could to meet the increasing demand as
the sun neared the horizon. A butcher was
cutting Off junks Of meat. Turbaned Mos
lens, in bright clothing, bargained for vege-
tables with tho pale shop keeper, who sat be-
hind lot of trays of wickerworlz, covered
with tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, summer
squashes, apricots, etc. A nonchalant young
man adorned wooden booth in the street
with plates and bowls of starchy looking sub
stances like jellies, covered with nuts Num-
bers of men and boys stood idly waiting.
Every one seemed tired and languid. There
was no loud talking.
Boom roared the cannon from the bar
racks. A dozen matches were struck, a
dozen cigarettes lighted, and cloud Of blue
smoke arose. Smoking even before eating
or drinking The change was like that
effected by the kiss Of the fairy prince. At
the sound of the gun everything in the line
of eating and drinking and smoking went
quietly on as If 1t never had stopped. Some
had hearty meal in several dishes all ready
before them, and fell to at once, in business
like way The shop keepers broke their fast
with what they were selling. The fruit
dealer swallowed an apricot, and evidently
enjoyed 1t. A seller Of sweets took up most
indigestible looking piece of confectionery,
and nourished himself with that Oil tho Joy
of one old fellow, who poured tiny stream
Of water down his throat from a jug held
high over his head, in the eastern fashion.
The favorite dish seemed TO be made of
pounded pulse, garnished with q bit of green
and covered with oil.
Very little sleep is taken In Ramadan ex-
cept by the rich, who can prolong their slum-
bers into the day The cafes are fun for two
or three hours after midnight. Last week
some famous wrestlers performed In a cafe
near the government building. Our guide
was q young Mosem who is a student In the
American college From the wrestling he
took us to "heai some muslcn in another part
of the city. / was curious to see what the
concert hall might be- We were taken to an
open place where several roads meet At one
corner was a mosque with brilliantly
lighted minaret, at another couple OF cafes,
at q third large building with small door
and no windows, showing that IL was a pub
most ludicrous as well as tho saddest figure
in Ramadnn. was passing by one day when
there suddenly emerged from the oven tall,
pale baker in long robe OF blue linen Be-
hind him, as he stood leaning against the
door post was the bakery with its cleaning
furnace and fragrant piles of new bread,
crisp and tempting. His white, hungry face
expressed u despair which seemed unable to
stand for moment longer the sight of food
which he must not touch. The irony Of the
situation was too much for him.
A large crowd had assembled to hear the
music, but tho people were either silent or
else spoke only in whispers. All at once the
sweet, shrill notes OF q boys soprano doated
down from behind tho three tiers Of lights In
tho lofty minaret. Tho voice was OF extraor-
dinary fexibility, and executed roulades,
turns and cadenzas with skill that brought
forth "Ahs' and ''Ohs'' of quiet satisfaction
from the widely scattered hearers far below
1t was unique concert / could think of
nothing but larks on tho Wiltshire downs
Presently another boy began to sing alone,
then third, and the first began again, and
they joined in a soaring trio, full Of curious
Oriental transitions II seemed monotonous
but then tho Orientals call our music mono
tonous, and who Is righti Is there not per-
haps some idea underlying the eastern music
which we have not yet caught
"How many Of these people really fastf'
Is question have lately put with variety
OF answers. As such answers are apt to be
largely subjective, it is hard for q stranger
to get correct estimate. A conscientious
Moslem will be apt to conclude that the ma-
jority are conscientious. The man who eats
secretly will probably suspect that his pri-