Wake Up! It's Ramazan!

boom-boom-boom--ba-boom. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BABOOM! This is a sound that can get your attention at 3 am.  Luckily, I was prepared, and I knew what was going on.  (Unfortunately, the guy in the room next to us was not so prepared.  Watch video!)

The day before we arrived in Turkey, we realized that we would be there during Ramadan.  (It's not a typo in the title, it's actually called Ramazan in Turkey!).  We did a quick bit of research and found out that in Istanbul and the touristy areas, this wouldn't really affect us, we could still eat and drink and not pray to our heart's content.

One Ramadan tradition that did affect us greatly was the wake up call.  Since the first meal of the day must be eaten before the sun rises (at the inconvenient hour of 4:30), someone must get up VERY early and cook breakfast.  So, an hour and a half before sunrise, the city must be woken up.  Of course, this tradition dates back to way before the happy invention of personal alarm clocks.  Enter the drummer.  Watch the videos!

By the way, this happens every morning for the whole month of Ramadan.

-E