Ramadan in Uzbekistan
The Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan is the religious period when Muslims all over the world abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex during the daytime. Central Asian states were no exception to these festivities, as Islam is the predominant religion in all states of the region. In Uzbekistan, the religious holiday was declared to be a public day off. Muslims with their respect, dignity and sincerity try not to go against their belief and prepare for the days in advance and perform their actions during the period.
First, prior to start fasting, it is important that Muslims are well aware of the exact date. Because of the differences in sighting the moon with naked eyes, people often argue about the actual dates. When they are set with the term, they should start preparing for it. In the process of getting ready for the event, Muslims are expected to put more efforts into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Fasting's purpose is to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. It also teaches Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate. Therefore Muslims set their minds and get prepared for the worship.
Furthermore, the daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. During the day time, Muslims streets and public places are decorated with lanterns that are known to be a symbol of Ramadan. Lanterns are hung up to light the city and celebrate Ramadan. Yet, not all places do the same way.
In addition, Eid which means back to the fitrah, is a huge celebration when all the Muslims go to mosque early in the morning pray and enjoy themselves for the next 2 or 3 days. Usually parents buy new clothes and toys for their children. A well cooked dinner is provided. Muslims are expected to pray as an act of worship, and to thank God. Presents are also given, mainly clothes and money.
By Lee Jae Ryoung
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your writing! It was very interesting!
1.You wrote the thesis statement, explaining the meaning of Ramadan but not identifying the process.
2.You included background information by explainin how important Ramadan is to Muslims and by mentioning the countries where people believe Islam.
3. Each paragraph present a different part of the process.
4.I think preparing for fasting stage in second paragraph and fasting stage in third paragraph are organized in a sequence. However, I'm not sure about the fourth paragraph.
5.You explained meanings of some words such as Ramadan and Eid. Also, you included details like the purpose of fasting and some facts realted to the process. I just wish you wrote supporting details for the last sentece in third paragraph.
6. I'm not sure if you included any evaluation or recommendation or warning in the conclusion. Maybe if you made this clear, it would have been better.
Seunghyun Lee
ReplyDeleteI read your essay. I like yours because it explains unfamiliar festival, which means very informative to us. However, your thesis is not identifies the process. And if you add some specific informations like examples on 3rd, 4th paragraph(I think they are pretty short...), your essay will be even better.
I left a comment here but since it didn't show and I found that out today, I'll write it again....
ReplyDeleteThe thesis statemnt is include the fact that how Muslims think about it, which is the last sentence of the 1st paragraph.
I see some background knowledge here but you could have brought some history fact this holiday has, since it's so famous..
The process is shown as time based, and you used right expression to interconnect the paragraphs.
One more thing I'd like to point out is that you should have explained the meaning of the word 'filtrah' since the word is not a common one. The conclusion has the evaluation of the day-off so there's no question. thanx!
[Revised Version]
ReplyDeleteRamadan in Uzbekistan
The Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan is the religious period when Muslims all over the world abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex during the daytime. Central Asian states were no exception to these festivities, as Islam is the predominant religion in all states of the region. In Uzbekistan, the religious holiday was declared to be a public day off. Muslims with their respect, dignity and sincerity try not to go against their belief and prepare for the days in advance and perform their actions during the period.
First, prior to start fasting, it is important that Muslims are well aware of the exact date. Because of the differences in sighting the moon with naked eyes, people often argue about the actual dates. When they are set with the term, they should start preparing for it. In the process of getting ready for the event, Muslims first are expected follow the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Muslims are taught to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate. Therefore, Muslims get prepared for the worship having all this in their minds.
Furthermore, as the part of preparation, local people in Uzbekistan decorates have some decorations. The daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. During the day time, streets and public places are decorated with lanterns that are known to be a symbol of Ramadan. Lanterns are hung up to light the city. Even though not all places do the same way, Muslims in general prefers to do some ornament for a better atmosphere that would be suitable for the meaning of the month.
Lastly, Muslims have certain traditions. Eid which means back to the nature, is a huge celebration when all the Muslims go to mosque, a place of worship for followers of Islams, early in the morning pray and enjoy themselves for the next 2 or 3 days. Muslims are expected to pray as an act of worship, and to thank God. In addition, presents are also given, mainly clothes and money. Parents usually buy new clothes and toys for their children. A well cooked dinner is also provided.
In short, Islamic culture in Uzbekistan celebrates Ramadan and it plays quite a crucial role in Muslims’ life. In preparation for Ramadan, Muslims clear their minds, decorate their surroundings, have time of intensive worship and do good deeds as to get closer to God.