Turkish folk music played across Bethlehem's Payrow Plaza, located between City Hall and the Public Library, as the sun descended in the sky above. Busy volunteers prepared for the Ramadan Tent Dinner by placing plates heaped with Turkish food; bottles of juice; and water on the dozens of white clothed tables inside a large white tent erected for the occasion. The band, Wind of Anatolia, performed yards away on the library stairs.

As the sky grew darker, groups of guests arrived with greater frequency to break their day long fast with a shared meal. This year marked the third dinner cosponsored by the Lehigh Dialogue Center, according to Secretary Burak Cezik, and the second consecutive year in Payrow Plaza.

"It is a month of sharing," said Cezik, adding the members of the community are invited to see how Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan. As the tent filled with about 180 people, Dr. Kent Ozman, host of the spoken program, welcomed the guests, reminding them it was a time to be "mindful" and during this month they would have opportunity for the "purification of the person."

Waiters in white polo shirts passed out plates of kebabs, rice and summer vegetables from the restaurant Ephesus. At 8:37 p.m. the sun had set and dinner commenced. Dialogue Center volunteer Mehmet Ozdemir summarized the goal of the meal saying, "When you eat together you realize we are all the same."

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan attended the event and remarked, "We are truly a melting pot, we draw strength from our diversity," adding that events like the dinner are, "what has made Bethlehem a rich city."

A second public dinner followed on July 18 when organizers invited local homeless people to share in their meal.

The Ramadan Tent Dinner was organized and sponsored by the Lehigh Dialogue Center, the Turkish Cultural Center, and the City of Bethlehem.

RAMADAM

Ramadan is the name of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. During this month the Quran was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Muslims celebrate this time by focusing on giving and fasting during the day.

Healthy adult Muslims are expected to refrain from sensual pleasures including food, drink and sexual contact between the first light of the morning and sunset during the 29 to 30 day month. In addition, they are supposed to abstain from negative behaviors like gambling and fighting. This fasting, or sawm in Arabic, is considered one of the pillars of Islam.

Before sunrise Muslims eat a meal called Suhoor, and break their fast after sunset with an evening meal, called Iftar. When Ramadan falls in the summer, like this year, the fast lasts more than 16 hours from about 4 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Ramadan's beginning shifts about 10 days a year because the Islamic calendar is lunar.

In addition to the fasting Muslims are expected to give sadaqa (charity) and zakat (mandatory alms) to the poor. These actions are supposed to encourage compassion and community among practitioners.

SOURCE: Handout from the Lehigh Dialogue Center