For an American Christian family, April 10, 2021, did not mean anything until her daughter Olivia told her that Ramadan is in two days, and that she will fast this year.

A few moments passed for her parents in amazement and trying to realize what was going on, and before two minutes had passed, she told her "as you wish."

She went to her room and placed a red mark on the calendar on the wall on April 12, corresponding to the beginning of the month of Ramadan. As I thought, she did not wait to see the crescent and the Christian teenager fasted on Monday, one day before Ramadan actually began.

Persistent effect

Olivia was born in 2009 in Virginia, in the United States of America, into a Mormon American Christian family.

Since her early childhood, she learned about different cultures, read about multiple civilizations, accompanied Muslim friends, and from them she learned some Arabic words, and eagerly listened to her friends about their customs, traditions and different religious occasions.

Her first nanny, "Fatima", had a great impact on shaping her awareness, thought and feeling in one way or another. She belongs to that formation despite the different names, so she attended her "first feast" with her, as she described it.

Her first feast

Olivia recalls her childhood, saying, "From the age of 4 to 7 years old, Fatima of Morocco was my nanny, and she had 3 children. They would come to play with me or I would go to their house."

Fatima did not talk to her about fasting, but she, like any young child, noticed that she did not eat food or water all day despite spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing food, and feeding her children and Olivia together.

Olivia says, "In Fatima's house I lived my first Eid, and it was incredibly impressive. I ate cakes and celebrated with them, and I began to ask and understand something about Eid and Ramadan."

Olivia says that most of her friends are Muslims (Al-Jazeera)

Curiosity and openness to cultures

Olivia's family nurtured their curiosity to learn about different customs and cultures by being open to different cultures and customs and befriending people of different nationalities and communities.

Her family dealt with many Arabs and Muslims, and Olivia indicated that most of her friends are Muslims.

Her Sudanese friend told her that Ramadan was approaching, and according to her religion she must fast for 30 days from dawn to sunset. The idea astonished Olivia, and at the same time felt difficult for her friend, so she decided to support her saying, "In my religion we fast one day, the first Sunday of every month. We have dinner and wait until the next day for dinner. Here in America, fasting in general is not treated with seriousness or appreciation from many, "adding that" the idea of ​​fasting for 30 days is impressive and worthy of respect for its practitioners, so I decided to experiment and solidarity. "

First experience

Olivia calls herself "a non-morning girl". She does not like to wake up early, and yet she sets the alarm to wake up before dawn and takes the pre-dawn meal.

The 12-year-old girl says, "On the first day I ate cereal flakes with milk until I felt full, and went to complete my sleep, and in the middle of the day I felt so hungry that I almost cried, so I took the painkiller and continued the day's fast until sunset."

Her friend told her that she should eat more food during the pre-dawn meal to provide her with energy and make her endure the hardship of fasting, and she added that she is not allowed to take medicine during the fasting period.

Olivia says, "I asked her more about breakfast and the pre-dawn meal, and she learned about what breaks the fast, when I can break the fast, and what I must refrain from so as not to break the fast."

Family support

From the moment Olivia chose to go through the experience, her family clearly supported her, to the point that her mother asked her friends about the most appropriate foods that she prepared for her daughter for breakfast and the pre-dawn meal. 2 or 3 days. "

Jenny makes more protein and vegetables for Olivia's breakfast, and keeps part of it for her suhoor.

Her father and her younger siblings also make sure to eat away from her. "I know that they refrain from eating in front of me because I am fasting, but even if they do and eat in front of me, I don't care. I willfully chose to fast, and I am completely convinced," explains Olivia.

Worth repeating

Olivia does not know much about what the celebration of Ramadan looks like in Arab or Islamic countries, but she knows some icons of that holy month, such as "the lantern".

Olivia also knows some Ramadan foods, and loves to eat samosa. She says, "I love eating Arab foods, especially samosa, whether with meat or cheese. My mother does not know how to make these dishes, but I eat them with my friends." She added, "I am also waiting for Eid to stop fasting, celebrating and eating cakes and sweets. I will re-try fasting next year as well. "