Ramadan Festivities: Mother's Day, An Iftar Dinner, & Abbiesville Traditions

You could say Muslims are party people because we love to celebrate around our festivals - even the fasting season! Iftar (fast breaking meal) is accompanied by Maghrib (post-sunset) prayer and then dinner. So, folks usually get together at the venue before sunset and wait to break the fast together! Pakistani people are known for their Iftar dinners. They are no less than a grand wedding. I was at an Iftar Dinner this weekend at a restaurant! Buffet style! Love me a good buffet. So I dolled up in some beautiful semi-formals and got going. It was a good Iftar dinner affair! Meeting friends, sharing stories, exchanging hugs really breaks the dreary spell. 

Mother's Day this year fell in Ramadan - This meant that I was up prepping for the occasion on an empty stomach. Zero energy levels and zombie mode circumstance really put a bump in the road. Like Ramadan, Fall, Winter, and other festivities, I keep collecting Mother's Day decor so the display keeps getting more grand. I did the creme caramel (sugar free), Sara did some triple choc muffins, and the day just unfolded. 

Sara's Ramadan Cookies are the gorgeous part of my Ramadan decor each year. She designs and crafts them very meticulously in almost 3 days! They're sugar cookies that won't go bad. So they stay there with the decor until they're all munched up. They look like jewelry pieces. The Ramadan crescent moon is lime green this year. The pearl dragees on top are gold. It looks so beautiful and Spring-y. 

I'm a Supernatural fan girl. So Sam and Dean Winchester have got to be part of Ramadan Diaries 'The Fasting Abbie' comics. I keep posting these to the social media to share laughs. I haven't started making new ones this year so these are mostly from the previous years. I am editing a Grindelwald one currently. 

Two years ago I was doing the normal countdown ... changing numbers on a calendar. And then I thought of this. Maryam adores opening these each day at Iftar. She lights her LED lantern, as I light my big one. And together we all look forward to finding out which chocolate treat comes out of the packet! The countertop with the decor, Sara's cookies, and the treat bags just becomes a little festive shrine that we all enjoy for 30 days. Iftar is most definitely the most awaited time of the day.