From Dhaka to St. John's, observing Ramadan is a labour of love for these friends

Kanij and Faiaz Halim’s kitchen is a snow flurry of activity on a habitue daylight, but especially during the 30 years of Ramadan. 

Observing the Islamic holy month in St. John lackland’s is a bit different than what the couple is used to back home in Bangladesh, but they’ve created new traditions with their children and friends — who they consider part of the family.

Many Muslims fast from dawn to dusk throughout Ramadan. Each day begins with a meal commonly known as suhoor before the sun rises, and ends with one called iftar after the sun sets.

“The family bond comes closer during Ramadan,” Faiaz said as the sounds and smells of a laborious iftar preparation wafted to the living room Monday evening.

Faiaz said his favourite foods were readily available from stalls on the street growing up. It was a learning curve for him and his wife to cook items like haleem, a lentil-based stew, on their own when they moved to N.L. In 2023.

Finding childhood treats can be difficult too, so Kanij, Faiaz’s wife, started a business making exactly what she craved when she moved. She was hard at work Monday evening making jalebi, a sticky and sweet fried pastry.

Knowledge and recipes shared between fellow South Asian immigrants in the province makes all the difference, Faiaz said.

“This can feel overwhelming,” he said. “So for this part, I think we are kind of getting there.”

Break fast with this St. John’s family who is observing Ramadan far from home

A colourful, fragrant table of food prepared by the Halim family and their friends was ready by 7 p.m. Ten minutes later, an alarm projecting a prayer went off on someone’s phone. 

It was time to break fast for iftar.

A bag of dates was handed around the kitchen without a word, and four giggling children ran to grab skewers stacked high with fresh fruit. A certain warmth radiated throughout the room.

Kanij was emotional while speaking about her childhood Ramadan memories. 

“This time is so important in my life,” she said. “I love to cook…and we are far away from our dear relatives.”

Kanij said she’s happy to be able to pass down her values and traditional food to her children, despite being so far from its origin. 

Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is expected to fall on Friday depending on the sighting of the full moon. Faiaz describes it as the reward at the end of a full month of devotion to Allah.

“It’s kind of like, OK, now your hardship has ended. Now you enjoy [time] with your family, now you take care of your neighbours.”

Much like breaking fast, celebrating the festival is a labour of love that friendship plays a big part in for this lively group in particular, living more than 11,000 kilometres away from home. 

“In Bangladesh we have our parents, we have our brothers, sisters, we have friends also. We go outside for Eid and we eat something, breaking our fast. But here we don't have anyone,” said Muntasim Munim, a friend of the Halims. 

That’s why get-togethers like this are so special. 

“It is like a family,” Munim said, gesturing to his friends around the dinner table.

Journalist

Maddie Ryan is a reporter in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador who has experience covering a wide range of stories, from politics and social issues to music and culture. Contact her at madison.ryan@cbc.ca.

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