Happy Bajram

Last night was Bajram, the final day of the holy month of Ramadan, throughout which Muslims eat and drink only after sundown and before sunrise (including water!). I actually fasted a few days ago in order to join some Bosnian friends for iftar, the daily breaking of the fast at sundown. It wasn't so bad, really -- the only thing I truly missed was coffee. Let's just say I did a lot of staring at my keyboard that day.

Anyway, many Muslim residents of Sarajevo also give up drinking alcohol for Ramadan. But on Bajram, the restrictions end. What this means: PARTAY!! Indeed, Sarajevans were out in force last night, the women wearing their finest outfits and the men in full suit and tie. I of course was not aware of said dress code and showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, yet again singling myself out as a stupid tourist. This is not exactly rare, considering that the relative looseness of my pants, and the fact that I do not immerse my head in the requisite one litre of shiny hair gel, usually allows the locals to immediately label me a Westerner.

I was warned that Bajram is the most raucous night of the year. With all those burly men returning to their beloved pivo (beer) after a month's hiatus, it is a situation latent with bar brawl potential. I did not witness any fights however, only crowds of rosy-faced, jolly Bosnians. I wonder how different Sarajevo will be for me now, considering I arrived here only just after Ramadan began.

At this point I should say a bit about religion here. Bosnia is essentially the last enclave of Islam in Europe, the only comparable region being the south of Spain around Granada, though most of the Muslims there were expelled hundreds of years ago. Bosnia gets its Muslim character from its ancient status as the Western-most province of the Ottoman Empire 550 years ago. The brand of secular Islam practiced here is quite unique. Aside from the architecture and loudspeakers blaring the daily calls to prayer, Sarajevo is in many ways just another lively European city. Most people wear Western dress, drink, smoke, date, etc.

I have no way to verify this, but I've been told that since the war, people have clung to their religion more feverishly, but not in the way that you might think. Religion in the former Yugoslavia is less about the faith itself and more about national identity. Serbs are Orthodox Christians, Bosnians are Muslims, and Croatians are Roman Catholic. Prior to the war, Milosevic had orchestrated a massive church-building program, a way to boost Serbian pride. The other ethnic groups responded in turn. Around Sarajevo today, you can still see new mosques under construction, often with bizarre modernist features. Religion, essentially banned under the 35-year Communist rule of Tito, saw a resurgence with his death and the birth of extreme ethnic nationalism.

So, many Muslims here who otherwise lead secular lives, and do not consider themselves very religious, take Ramadan seriously. Party animals forego their beloved booze for weeks. Nicotine addicts (i.e. everyone) tap their feet all day, waiting for the cursed sun to flee. And obeying the rules of the fast is a matter of personal honour. Of course, there are many devout Muslims here, such as the old women with headscarves who shuffle about the old part of town, but as far as I can tell they are the exception. One need only note the masses who turn out at the clubs and bars for Bajram to prove this, as in truly religious circles the last night of Ramadan is a night of family gathering and prayer. But in Sarajevo, it's time to get jiggy!

I do greatly admire the restraint and ideal of purity embodied by Ramadan, as well as the shameless other side of the coin: the spectacular hedonistic, Bacchanal celebration that is Bajram. But overall it is hard for me not to conclude that the rebirth of religion in the Balkans is anything but just another arbitrary line in the sand between arbitrary enemies.