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Bea Vanni: one American's point of view
Vanni has lived in Turkey several times since 1982, including in Adana and İncirlik Air Base in 1982-1983, in İzmir in 1995-1996 and most recently in Istanbul in 1998-2008.
Throughout her years spent in Turkey, Vanni has had a chance to share iftar, the evening meal to break the day-long fast, with her university colleagues, as well as alongside many of her Turkish friends and her adopted Turkish family. Speaking about her Ramadan experiences in Turkey, Vanni said: “The typical Turkish way of celebrating Ramadan comes with elaborate dinners and visiting afterwards with many cups of tea and fruit or desserts. During my first years here, I was overwhelmed by the amount of food and eating that went on during the iftars.
While I was living in Turkey, I've had a few friends in for after-dinner tea and dessert but not for full meals. I'm not much of a cook, especially for such an event. I have not fasted during Ramadan myself because I get very dizzy and nauseated if I don't eat regularly. However, I have never felt uncomfortable eating during daylight hours because I never ate without my Turkish friends, and I did not eat in front of those fasting. Actually, I know few people who do fast, even though I do know lots of Turks.”
When asked if she observed any differences in people during the month-long fast, Vanni explained: “I've written about some of these very things in my blog. While some people seem to have a very religious outlook on Ramadan, others treat it as something to show off about. While I see no outward change in anyone particularly, I do see where people always offer someone around them something to eat once the fasting hours have ended. I've also seen the dolmuş driver bring bread to share with others on the minibus. This has been quite rare, however. Mostly, I've noticed that drivers get really crazy and forget why they are fasting in the first place. People don't equate their behavior on the road with the sacrifice they are giving to God during this season. I also see where people overeat during iftar and then suffer the physical repercussions later on.”
As an American with an Italian background, Vanni was raised Catholic and pointed out that there were some similarities between the two religions and their practices. Elaborating on this, she said: “I was brought up as a Catholic, and we could not eat meat on Fridays. Also, during the observance of Lent [the 40 days of fasting and prayer before Easter], we always gave up food or activities we loved.”
Vanni has recently moved back to the United States and will be spending this Ramadan there. She spoke about her plans for the month of fasting. “This year will be the first time I will experience Ramadan in the United States. I have some Turkish friends here and some new friends who are Muslim from various other countries. I will spend time with them. And, I'll take time to go to the mosque with a friend as well.”
Reflecting on her feelings about the real message of Ramadan, Vanni had this to say: “The message is to make an offering to God for all He has provided and to remind ourselves about humanity having to depend on one another. It takes all of us working together to make peace for the entire world.”
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