Ramadan

What is Ramadan? 9 Questions Answered Here

Now, my take on it.

I have lived just about 9 years of my youth in North Africa.
I have visited North Africa as a young adult.

I recall the hype of Ramadan when I was child. And the inner practices of Muslim people when a young adult. (Note: a non Muslim does not enter a place of their worship)

During Ramadan, they fast all day for a hole month. And no sooner the sun sets, they turn into busy bees. The night is theirs. The night life is about to start in just about every Muslim home. In some of the homes I have been guest for their night feast.
I was in my early 20's and was invited multiple times to some the most sumptuous diners I have seen. In the few instances, the hosts were fairly well off.

My first invite was a little surprising as I did know of the practices. It was in Morocco.
I was with 2 friends and my fiancee at the time.
The first thing that created a ruckus  was my insistence that my fiancee had to eat with us or I would leave. My host then an old friend of the family, disregarded the demands of the other women to have her eat with them in the kitchen. So she did eat with us.
The first awkward practice was his wife passing a bowl and towels for us to wash our feet and hands. I can't recall which came first, but there were two separate bowls being passed around. We the Westerners did not wash our feet, as we kept our shoes on.
They the Muslim friends were bare footed on matts, and sitting on pillows on the ground.
We too did sit on the ground.
The dishes were placed in the center as common servings. Every one used their hands to pick the bite they wanted and so on.
My host did at first pick for us (with his hands) our first bites, in order to show us how to.
Now, I must say that this scene was in 1978 or 79. And the next occurrences in the following year, as I returned to Morocco a second time.

I had seen before I was a teenager, part of the Ramadan practices, but not this much.
In the 60's I had witnessed the streets of Morocco during their holy month.
People were everywhere walking about, eating and drinking just about all night long.
Bottom line, they party all night, and sleep all day if they did not work.
Some did work, but all was at a very slow pace.

My favorite country in North Africa was: Morocco.
I say was, because I have not been there since the late 70's.