Songkran & Poem 'Ramadan: Karachi to Glasgow'
Written by Syeda Sadaf in collaboration with Peer Writer Seonaid
Note from Kim
New year, new connections
This past weekend saw the start of the Thai festival, Songkran (สงกรานต์). As I write this on a stormy afternoon in Glasgow, the rain battering against the window and the wind audibly attempting to blow my house down, it’s hard to picture what it’s like 6,000 miles away, where it’s the hottest time of the year, and people are celebrating Thai new year by throwing water, often mixed with flour, all over each other, with buckets, water guns, whatever’s available. Making merit, praying for good things in the new year, bringing food to monks at the local temple. It feels like another world.
I send some pals from Thailand text messages wishing them a happy new year, but really these occasions make me feel melancholy. How can you mark something that’s so joyously, widely and extravagantly celebrated over there, in a place where it’s never even been heard of? I stick on some Thai tunes, Sroeng Santi is my guy:
I drink bright orange Thai iced tea (cha yen ชาเย็น) with my daughter and eat sour sweet tamarind candies, but it all feels a bit forced. I suppose it’s the people, places and experiences from that bright, hot, noisy time in my life that I miss. A 3-hour Zoom call with a couple of pals from that time is the thing that does the trick, and our reminiscences and laughter leave me feeling refreshed.
I talk about Songkran with Shakya at MILK’s conversation cafe the next day. What do you know? Sri Lanka also has a celebration around the same time. I am sent down a Wikipedia wormhole to learn new things about other places from my Glasgow pals. New connections and new memories are always still to be made.
Today, we are sharing a poem with you by our friend.
Ramadan: Karachi to Glasgow
Written by Syeda Sadaf in collaboration with Peer Writer Seonaid
Ramadan - it's not just a month.
Just before the dawn,
In the middle of the night…
“Wake up! Wake up!”
I hear you mom, I am coming.
Sehri time gone quickly,
Mom makes a delicious hot meal,
Eating, praying, and walking with friends and neighbours after sehri.
It's not just a month.
Waiting for the happiness to come, making Eid plans,
Food, parties, eidi envelopes with different amounts for everyone,
Hanging out, wearing new clothes,
Shopping, bangles, new shoes, jewellery,
Mom trying to get everything for us,
New clothes every Friday for prayers,
Every Friday in Ramzan is a special day in my childhood.
It's not just a month, it's a month of blessings.
Make iftar for charity, for the mosque, for those who need you,
We make a small street stall with free water and juice,
Mom shares recipes with friends,
Every year us kids wanted to fast but mom would say “next year, next year.”
So the kids help to make iftar every day,
We make fruit salad, yogurt chat, chickpea chat, samosa, pakora & much, much more.
It's not just a month.
It's commitment, compromise,
Connections of old memories,
Family, friends, cousins all get together.
It's not just a month, it's Ramadan.
In our grandparents’ home, a safe space for fun,
Loving each other, people planning to go to extra prayers at the mosque, ladies trying to prepare the home.
Life in Scotland, in Glasgow, is different.
Things are not the same.
I miss my childhood and tell stories to my kids about what Ramzan was like in my city.
Everyday I think, they don't have memories like that…
But I appreciate the people of Glasgow.
They are loving and giving us a chance to share our thoughts about how Ramadan is different,
From Karachi to Glasgow.
I am glad to have you.
Kim Supajirawatananon and Shakya Seresinghe act as the overall contributors for the blog, pitching article ideas, putting together articles, posting, and making small edits. We also run a peer-writers project on the side, where creatives from the wider community support the blog through editing, interpreting, translating etc. This blog is a collective effort, and we thank everyone for their contributions.
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