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DAMASCUS, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan was deemed to have lost its attraction after the eruption of the crisis in Syria, but the despair didn't keep those afflicted from trying to rekindle the glamour of the holy month, even a little.
Syria's crisis has brought intolerable burdens, woes and calamities to the lives of most Syrians, and over half of 23 million people have found themselves in places they had never imagined.
The Syrian government has opened centers to host the Internally Displaced People, or IDPs. Such centers are either schools or summer children camps. In each city in Syria under the government control, displaced families try to cope with their situations in shelters.
In the town of Hirjalleh in the countryside of the capital Damascus, Abu Ahmad, a man in his fifties from the rebel-held town of Ataibeh east of Damascus, sat at the doorstep of his room in the Hirjalleh camp, watching his wife preparing the Ramadan breakfast.
Having to fast from dawn to dusk, without smoking or drinking a cup of tea, Abu Ahmad spent the first day of Ramdan recalling how he and his family used to observe this month, the most important one in the Islamic calendar.
He was forced to leave his house and everything behind when the town fell to the rebels. He and his wife and kids have been living in the camp for four years.
What Abu Muhammad misses the most is the company of his friends and relatives back in Atiabeh.
"We are observing Ramadan this year, but unlike pre-war times, the atmosphere has largely changed, as we used to stay up late with family members and friends. But now, they are in different locations, pushed away by the war," he said.
Although spending Ramadan in Ataibeh was much better for him, Abu Muhammad said he is trying to observe the month this year, with people he had come to know in the camp.
"The people here have become like one family, we share food, and pain as well," he said.
His wife, Sawsan, spent the first day thinking what else she can cook to her children, aside from the two free meals the camp provides for them daily. She said she wanted her kids and husband to feel a bit of the lost joy of the holy month.
"We are spending Ramadan this year in this displacement camp in Hirjalleh, with people like family members to us," she said. "It's been four years since we were displaced, and we don't feel like strangers here anymore. We are trying our best to live our lives and be positive and hopeful in the future."
Outside their room, children were playing and laughing, waiting for their parents to finish preparing the iftar meal, or breakfast, unaware of what they must have missed away from home.
In another room was Abu Muwafaq, another displaced man from the eastern countryside of Damascus. The 62-year-old has 14 children on the during his 35 years of marriage.
He said four sons serve in the army on different fronts, while the rest are either live with relatives or with him at the displacement center.
The man considered the month of Ramadan as a chance for people to spend more times together, as the people used to pay each other visits, exchanging invitations on the iftar and even long-evening visits.
"I try hard to revive the traditions of Ramadan here by socializing with other families, exchange food and make special dishes for the breakfast," he said.
His wife, Fatima, also tries her best to have some joy during the month and hopes for a quick return to their home.
"Even though the people here are so nice, no matter how good the situation here, it cannot be compared to one's home or neighborhood," she said.
Fatima said the people in the camp usually gather after the breaking of the fast in Ramadan at the yard, exchanging talks and knowing each other more, in an effort to maintain the spirit of the month.
"Being surrounded by people makes it easier for me to spend my time without keep thinking about my home, my past and future. But I hope that by next Ramadan, we could be celebrating it at home," she said.
Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating and drinking during the period between sunrise and sunset.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the Koran's first verse was revealed during its last 10 nights.
