“A more beautiful Ramadan” promises an advertisement for one Beirut clinic offering discounts to image-conscious Lebanese during the Muslim holy month of dawn-to-dusk fasting.
Though traditionally a time of frugality and prayer, the month of Ramadan has become an occasion for extravagant spending on everything from lavish evening meals to crystal bowls to cosmetic surgery in Lebanon, a country famed for its “see and be seen” attitude.
“You don’t keep track of your spending during Ramadan,” said Rami Shuman, manager of designer Vivienne Westwood’s signature boutique in Beirut’s chic downtown.
PHOTO: AFP
“I’ve paid US$120 for an iftar meal,” the 27-year-old said. “This is Lebanon. Even if you’re poor, you have to seem rich.”
Devout Muslims observe Ramadan by abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk, and across the Middle East, offices in August have been opening later than usual and closing earlier to allow people to get home on time for the iftar meal after sunset.
In other Middle Eastern countries, particularly in the Gulf, iftar gives the wealthy an opportunity to show hospitality on a grand scale, and Lebanon is no exception.
PHOTO: AFP
“Reservations have been skyrocketing since the beginning of the month and on weekends we’re always fully booked,” said Joanna Kharma, public relations officer at a five-star hotel in the capital.
“Some customers have even reserved the entire restaurant for an iftar and racked up a bill of US$8,000.”
Prominent Beirut families and socialites compete over who can host the most lavish iftars, and night-long feasts are not uncommon, often landing on the pages of glossy magazines.
In the “Ramadan tents” set up for the occasion, guests gather to dine, smoke shisha, or water pipes, and dance to oriental music or enjoy performances by local singers.
Another Beirut beauty center advertises reduced prices for permanent hair removal “for only US$300” during Ramadan or even “special lip injections at just US$250.”
Traditional gift-giving also takes on gargantuan proportions during the holy month.
“Some clients come in looking for crystal bowls or candy boxes imported from Italy worth at least US$3,000 to give as gifts at iftars they are invited to,” said a saleswoman at a chocolate store in downtown Beirut.
Sociologist Michel Abs, of the Saint Joseph University in Beirut, says the extreme consumerism is not limited to the holy month but is part of the national culture.
“Ramadan or not, the Lebanese have a tendency to overspend. Simplicity is a lost virtue,” Abs said.
The surge in demand by the rich and would-be rich spells hardship for the majority, however, in a country where the minimum wage stands at little more than US$330 a month.
Prices for iftars range from US$20 to US$60 per person but can climb to a hefty US$200 in some upmarket eateries.
Retail food prices surge as well and even the lower middle classes struggle to make ends meet as vegetables and meat sell for double or triple their usual prices.
“If I want a real iftar, I’d have to pay double my normal budget for lunch, so US$40 dollars,” said Mohammed Afif, a newly-wed 30-year-old accountant.
Many clerics lament the loss of the spiritual meaning and traditional character of Ramadan, which is meant as a month of prayer, fasting and donations to the poor.
“The holy month of Ramadan should be a return to religion, prayer and a reminder to the observant to aid those in need,” said Sheikh Hussein Abdullah, whose Shiite community counts some of the capital’s poorest.
“Iftars hosted outside the home should not be an occasion to show off or prove one’s wealth,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
But sociologist Abs said there was an upside to the changing face of the Muslim holy month in a country whose mosaic of religious faiths fueled a devastating 15-year-long civil war that ended just two decades ago.
“Ramadan is no longer a religious event limited to one faith,” Abs said. “In recent years, Christians in this multi-faith country have begun to increasingly participate in iftars.
“Christians know little about Ramadan, but the month has nonetheless become an event shared by both communities,” he said.
National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday said it disqualified a person from an entrance examination for using AI smart glasses to cheat, along with two others for making untruthful statements in their curriculum vitae. The three applicants were given null scores, Taiwan’s highest-ranked university said, calling on prospective students to be honest in the admissions process. NTU registrar Lee Hung-sen (李宏森) said that the cheating applicant wore a hat and thick-rimmed glasses to the second written exam for medical school, claiming that they felt cold. Suspicions were aroused when the applicant stared oddly at the test for long stretches while steadily bringing the paper
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defense seeking to verifying initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province,
‘GRAY ZONE’ PRESSURE: Beijing’s activities are intended to create the deceitful impression that China has jurisdiction over the area around Taiwan, the CGA said Taiwan’s rights over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone must not be violated by any country, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that it will not accept any unprovoked actions. The council issued the remarks in response to the China Coast Guard conducting maritime enforcement drills near eastern Taiwan and claiming to fully exercise China’s maritime administrative law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been closely monitoring the situation and is taking concrete steps to defend the nation’s sovereignty and secure its waters, the council said. China has no sovereign rights over the waters off eastern
Heavy rain is expected to affect parts of Taiwan this week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday as a meteorologist said the active part of the annual plum rain season has started. A stationary plum rain front and southwesterly winds would bring unstable weather and abundant moisture to Taiwan from today for about a week, with the heaviest rainfall forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday, the CWA said. The agency said western and northeastern Taiwan, and mountainous areas in the east and southeast, could expect showers or thunderstorms on those two days, with localized heavy rain possible. Other parts of
RSS