Ramadan in Fez

What does Ramadan mean if you're coming to Fez on holiday?

Fassi women pray at the end of Ramadan

First off, as a tourist you're not expected to fast! As Muslims don't eat, drink or smoke during daylight hours, most cafes turn into sweet shops, selling the sticky confections that people buy to break the fast at the end of day. But this doesn't apply to the tourist cafes and restaurants around Bab Boujloud - they still operate for visitors.

Some restaurants use this time to close down altogether and give their staff an annual holiday. This applies particularly in the Ville Nouvelle at restaurants like The Majestic and Trois Sources. But in the medina, both Mezzanine and F Lounge will be open.

It's impossible to get a taxi between 5 and 6.30pm when people are breakfasting, and probably best not to be walking about in the medina at that time. Anyone else walking around when they should be home eating is probably up to no good! And tempers can fray towards the end of the day ...

Alcohol is not available in the supermarkets and off-licences are closed from three days before Ramadan until three days after the Eid (celebrations at the end of Ramadan). It is available to foreigners in licensed restaurants, but sometimes the bar or restaurant might run out of some drinks.

It's good to be aware that this is a holy month and clothing should be more conservative than usual. Do not eat, smoke or drink on the streets during this time.

Business hours also change, with banks, post offices and shops opening later and closing earlier so that staff can get home in time for f'tour. Often the opening hours displayed outside banks and post offices do not relate to Ramadan.

What's it all about?

The four weeks of the Islamic month of Ramadan are observed by fasting during daylight hours. The aim is to remind Muslims of their commitment to Allah, and as a spiritual purification. Exemption is made for pregnant or breastfeeding women, small children, travellers and the sick. People get excited about it - it's a very special time, when traditional clothes are worn.

The day starts early when people wake before dawn to have breakfast before the first call to prayer. If you're lucky, you might hear the man who comes singing around the medina, knocking on doors to remind people to get up and eat.

At the end of the day, everyone is ready for f'tour, or 'breakfast', which is around 5.30pm, after the late-afternoon call to prayer. Traditionally, the first food to pass the lips is dates and milkshakes; there are also the honey-drenched, almond-paste-filled sweetmeats that are eaten with harira, a tomato and chickpea soup, hard-boiled eggs dipped in cumin and salt and breads, often stuffed with onion and spices. If you'd like to try f'tour, there are some great hole-in-the-wall restaurants along Avenue Chefchaouni in the Ville Nouvelle, near the public gardens. It's a great opportunity to mix with local people, and the meal costs around Dh15.

Then everyone is out on the streets - there are funfairs and markets in the Ville Nouvelle and people saunter along the palm-fringed boulevards, enjoying the fountains. Dinner is served somewhere between 10pm and midnight.

There is more excitement at the end of the month when the new moon is sighted, signalling the end of Ramadan. Morocco is one of the last countries in the world that relies on an actual sighting rather than a moon calendar. And if it isn't seen, then the fast goes one for another day. The celebration at the end of Ramadan is called Eid, and is tone of the biggest events of the Islamic calendar. The holiday lasts three days and shops, banks and offices are closed.

All in all, it's a very interesting time for non-Muslims to come to Morocco. Remember to wish everyone 'Ramadan m'barak' - a blessed Ramadan.