DUBAI: As the most sacred month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is a time to give back, reflect and spend time with loved ones. Typically, Muslim families come together to celebrate during Ramadan, which began in April, though unfortunately many will be celebrating at a distance this year due to the coronavirus.
Nonetheless, many Muslims are finding creative ways to stay connected and get together during isolation via social chatting applications such as Zoom. Virtual iftars such as “Remote Iftar,” launched by Minneapolis-based computer scientist Fadumo Osman, groups people together to break their fast at sunset via social platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype.
Indeed, just because you are social-distancing does not mean you have to break your fast alone. Below, we round up some tips on how you can have a successful iftar gathering, virtually.
Connect
There are a slew of social apps that support video calling. Some of our favorites include Zoom, Smoothy, Skype and Google Hangouts. If you have FaceTime, you can rope in up to 32 devices.
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Organize a guest list
One of the trickiest tasks for planning a dinner can be curating the guest list, and an online gathering is no different. Some people may want to invite every single family member, friend, colleague, former-coworker and neighbor. But if you want to have a smaller, more intimate affair without people talking over one another, try editing down your guest list to five of the people closest to you. Once you have decided on the guest list, send out e-invitations that include key details such as event time, links to the event and access codes.
Plan the menu
Obviously, food is the most essential aspect of any iftar. You can pre-plan the menu for the virtual dinner by sending recipes to everyone ahead of time, or just have everyone make their own individual meal. Those who wish to get creative can set a theme, such as dishes from a certain country or region or a meal made out of a specific ingredient, a la “Iron Chef.”
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Set the mood
Put some thought into your lighting and table setting. Light a soothing candle, decorate your table with flowers, iron your cloth napkins or pull out the luxurious tableware that you were reserving for a special occasion.
Get dressed up
For many Muslim women, the holy month’s plentiful iftar and sahoor celebrations call for a whole new wardrobe. But just because you are not physically attending a Ramadan gathering, doesn’t mean you can’t wear something nice and festive. Trade in your sweatpants and pajamas for an embellished kaftan or put on a pair of statement earrings.
Carry a conversation
Via video-chatting platforms, you can still talk to your family and friends as you would normally in person. However, sustaining a multi-person conversation online can be tricky. For larger gatherings, you can avoid people talking over one another and make sure everyone gets an opportunity to speak by taking turns speaking in alphabetical order of names. Having conversations or ice-breakers prepared will also help the conversation to flow smoothly.
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