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| Hasta fasts in a country of four seasons (Photo: Special). |
It's not enjoyable if fasting is not accompanied by the scorching heat of the day. Moreover, hunting for takjil in the afternoon is the main thing to do to spend time with family or friends. However, the vibe of fasting in other countries is quite different. There are some differences in culture, customs, and ways of conducting Ramadan.
Hesti Miranda, an alumna of the English Study Program at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), is currently spending Ramadan in Central Europe, Hungary. As an information, she is currently a final-year doctoral student at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, majoring in Educational Science. Hesti said that the obvious differences during Ramadan are in terms of season, time, food, and worship.
Read more: Ramadan Ceria UMM, Invite the Difable Community to have Sahur Together
"It happens to be spring, so fasting is more comfortable and not too hot. Due to this season, the fasting duration is not much different from Indonesia. Unfortunately, there is no takjil in Indonesia. So, if you want to eat fritters, you have to make it yourself," she said.
The unique thing about fasting in Hungary is that the weather is the most supportive factor. In Indonesia, the most suitable season is the dry season, but in Hungary, the most suitable seasons are winter and spring. This is because the temperature is still fairly cold at that time, making the sun's heat less intense and allowing for more flexible activities.
Another noticeable difference is that there are no roadside vendors selling their takjil. Therefore, Hesti realized that if she wanted to eat takjil, she had to make an extra effort to make her own takjil.
As for places of prayer, Hungary has a mosque, but it does not provide tarawih prayers. Therefore, when it comes to tarawih, Hesti usually follows the tarawih prayer held by the Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia (PPI) or by praying at the house of one of her Indonesian friends. "Actually, it's not much different from in Indonesia, but here only the weather supports us Muslims to fast," she added.
Read more: Exciting Story of UMM Students Becoming Mosque Imams
Although the temperature in Hungary is currently around 5 degrees Celsius, Hesti feels warmth from her classmates. This is because Hesti's non-Muslim classmates sometimes give her authentic Hungarian food to break her fast.
Moreover, the other interesting thing is the high level of tolerance she experienced, at least in her neighborhood. For example, when his friends try not to eat in front of her and avoid inviting her to eat during the day because they know that she is fasting. (tri/wil/put)
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