In May 2021, we ran our very first Ramadan Experience. In an effort to get to know our colleagues better and to gain more understanding about cultural and religious practices, colleagues were invited to learn about and observe Ramadan on one day during the month.

Participating colleagues learnt that the holy month is not just about fasting. Muslims refrain from any negative behaviour or bad habits that have been picked up over the year, they show patience and restraint in order to come out as better versions of themselves at the end of it.

Ramadan is also about charity and helping others that are less advantaged than us. To learn about this was a great experience for those who took part. Read about some of their experiences in the blogs below.

"It was very interesting to learn about the Muslim religion and why Ramadan is such an important part of that faith. Although I didn't fast for a whole month, as many Muslims do every year, I did manage one day of fasting from sunrise to sunset. For me that meant setting my alarm at 2.30am, before dawn, to drink some water. I went back to sleep and then woke up at the usual time to do my day's work. I wasn't sure I'd be able to go all day without any more water. However, I learned a key objective of fasting is an increase in taqwa (closeness to and consciousness of God), and to engender a sense of gratitude, self-discipline and self-improvement, at both an individual and community level, which Muslims are encouraged to continue throughout the year.

"I found the afternoon the most challenging – when my tummy was rumbling! Osborne Clarke held a Ramadan Lounge which was an opportunity to talk to other colleagues about their experiences of fasting this helped me to re-focus. It was really a case of mind over matter and self-restraint. Every time I thought about being hungry or thirsty, I took a moment to reflect that many people around the world do not have easy access to food and water and how they get through that. It certainly helps with being disciplined! I had my evening meal after sunset, at 20:00, and savoured every mouthful, feeling a real sense of achievement and appreciation for the experience and the learning."
Karen Harmel, Senior PA

"I am a 'one day a week' faster, every Monday, but not from sunrise to sunset and of course not for the same reasoning as one does it during Ramadan. My usual day would see me eating my evening meal around 22:00, I know that is late but that is my usual routine. On the back of that I did not get up super early to eat my pre-fast 'Sehri' - hoping that I would have enough in the tank for the next day and relying upon my late night meal from the day before instead. During the day I was busy with work which kept my mind off the fact that I was fasting. However, I did take a few drinks of water as I suffer with postural hypotension and dehydration can have a negative effect on this,so I chose to drink minimal amounts of water that day.

"As I usually fast after my Sunday evening meal until my evening meal the following day I am used to having fairly long periods of time without food, but abstaining from any liquids throughout the day would have made fasting a very different kettle of fish. I do often drink a lot of water on my fast day, not only to combat dehydration but to stop hunger pangs - a large glass of water can make you feel quite full when you gulp it down in one go.

"Even though I did have a couple of glasses of water it was much less than I would usually drink and I noticed the difference it had on my day – I was hungrier than usual and I felt quite tired toward the end of the working day. I usually break my fast with an early evening meal which would definitely be before sunset during the summer months and for me this felt like the trickiest part of my Ramadan day. On a fast day I would have a snack at around 17:30, cycle for an hour or more and eat my evening meal around 19:30.

"The difference here on my Ramadan day meant I had to forego the snack and exercise on a completely empty stomach and then wait until around 20:00 before I began prepping my evening meal. I didn’t want to prepare anything whilst I was fasting as that would have made me feel even hungrier than I already was, so I eventually ended up eating around 20:30 after nibbling my way through prepping the meal! I would like to try doing more than one day of fasting at some point to see how my day would need to change to accommodate that, doing a fast every day for 29 to 30 days is quite a daunting and although it is obviously achievable I would find it difficult.

"On reflection, I feel I should have taken more time to just sit and chat with my family, but during Covid times we all seem to be even busier than usual. As a family we did spend the evening chatting with no TV or music to distract us. This was great and something I will encourage my girls to do more often when we are together as a family. All in all it was a great day and well worth taking part in - count me in for next year please."
Gisela Blackburn, Business Support Manager Assistant