Do you see the whirling dervish behind me?
Last night in Beirut, I joined a team of dedicated volunteers to serve 300 dinners for a Ramadan iftar. At this particular iftar, ninety-percent of the families served each night for the whole month of Ramadan come from poor neighborhoods–every night, everyone from millionaires to the most needy are invited to join in this generous and festive feast. Dinner was followed by–what else?–giant puppets and fire-breathers, oh my!
Instead of wearing a hair-net (it was a smooth operation), I brought along a hat I bought in Turkmenistan, when I was excavating Islamic archaeology earlier this summer on the Silk Road. This hat prompted one woman to ask if I was Indonesian (it does look like batik)!
I’m really looking forward to serving more meals each night–including at an iftar later this week just for orphans and refugees. Stay tuned for more details on all the generosity and charity being offered nightly here in Beirut…
Emily O'Dell serving Ramadan iftar in Beirut--with puppets!
