Prayers Are Serious Business in Saudi! And Birthday Bashes

Hello Dearest Friends and Family,

Are you so surprised to get another letter so soon? I've been thinking a lot about this newsletter so I couldn't wait to send it to you. I have been so amazed at the devotion of these people that I wanted to share some thoughts with you.

When we first arrived in Riyadh, the first thing everyone wanted to inform us was about prayer time. As you know, Islam believes in prayer five times a day. There is a mosque on almost every corner in Riyadh, some very beautiful, some quite nice, and some just a portable trailer. Prayers are broadcast through minarets (towers) in every neighborhood starting at one hour before sunrise. This means about 4:30 in the morning! I guess there are some advantages to being hard of hearing, ha, ha. It starts with a male voice in a sing-song manner announcing prayer. A few minutes later, the actual prayer begins and this is also done in a song. It lasts for around 15-20 minutes. Men are expected to go to the mosque at the call with their prayer rugs. Everyone leaves their shoes at the door.  Women may also go but they are off in a side room for their prayers, not the main hall.

         

Here is Saudi, all business' are required to lock-up when the call to prayer is announced. You can't get into any business during prayer time. If you are already in the store when it happens, you can't check out because all of the employees either take a break or pray. They don't mind you shopping however because the crime rate is pretty low. Who wants to shoplift when you may have your hand removed in the public square by a razor sharp saber and an exact executioner! No tempting thoughts here. I've never liked public displays much anyway.

We were in the grocery store during prayer time one day and they threw out a large rug in the produce department and a bunch of employees were kneeling, saying their prayers in their typical up and down motion, touching their noses to the floor. What is truly amazing is that when you are caught in a store during prayer time, everyone becomes quiet, they dim the lights, and there is almost a reverent feeling around you. I've seen women praying on a rug in an aisle of the store, or in the corner of a restaurant, or in the hall in the mall. It's quite a sight of devotion. You just don't want to show up at a store before they close their doors because you won't get in until 45 minutes later! In other words, everything is planned around prayer time. Especially going out to eat because you'll either have to wait or you won't get your food and you know how much I like to wait for my FOOD!!!

So, prayer happens five times a day and the times change with the seasons. Gale has an application on his phone that tells us when we can and can't go. It just makes it hard to plan sometimes when you have to navigate the horrendous traffic on top of it. That's another story for another day. We've learned to adjust and only find it mildly inconvenient anymore. Other Islamic countries that we've visited allow for the choice of the shop owner, which makes more sense if you believe in freedom. I hear from my friend Shahnaz that Iran doesn't require it either.

I had a wonderful birthday, thanks to many who sent me good wishes. We went to the Janadriyah Cultural Festival in the evening that was like walking in a dream, it was so different. Maybe even like time travel or something. I'll send some pictures. It was quite windy with a lovely sandstorm blowing but that was part of the fun! Here's a great website if you're interested in more info. It's like the county fair only bigger with lots of artisans making crafts. We sampled more dates and types of honey than I've ever had in my life. Because the dates are fresh, they taste like caramel and I've never liked dates before. They have camel and donkey cart rides for the kids, military museums, musical performers, art galleries and a ladies only section that is heavily guarded. (Sometimes men attempt to sneak in ). The Muttawa were thick that night making sure no single men were prowling the place. I don't know what they'd expect to see since all the women are covered from head to toe! I frequently got stopped by women asking if they could take our picture since we're light eyes. I told them "Only if I can take your picture too!!" They always agreed and would frequently say "Welcome to our country." It was my best birthday ever.

http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2013/03/expats-guide-janadriyah-cultural.html

If you have any other questions about anything, send me an email. I love hearing from you. Let me know if the short video works.

Love,

DeAnna