Celebrating Ramadan at a German-Turkish School

The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a sugar festival called Sheker Byram. Stephanie Duckstein talked to students at Aziz-Nesin, Berlin's German-Turkish School, where about half of the students are Turkish Muslims.

photo: Aziz-Nesin School — At Berlin's bilingual Aziz-Nesin School, kids get to celebrate Muslim holidays, too

Last Sunday, the holy month of Ramadan ended. For Muslims across the world this means fasting for 30 days between sunrise and sunset. However, the end of Ramadan is literally sweet with the Seker Bayrami or so-called sugar festival to celebrate the end of the fasting period.

"We celebrate Ramadan in our home and I usually get presents and we eat lots of candy,"says nine-year-old Edda. "And sometimes our cleaning lady comes as well and celebtates with us."

Not quite an expert in things Islam, but…

Edda is not quite an expert yet when it comes to Islam, but she seems to know a lot about what is allowed and what is not allowed during Ramadan. Her Maths class might not be the best time to talk about religion but when it comes to Seker-Bayram, or sugarfest, Edda and her classmates get excited.

Everybody in class 4a has something to say and everybody wants to know more about Ramadan and the sugar festival.

Class Teacher Ayse Bardak uses the little disturbance in the class for a quick quiz on Ramadan. For right answers, Mrs Bardak compliments the kids – for wrong answers they get a sceptical shake of head.

As Mrs Bardak asks the questions she tries to steer the kids into the right direction.

Classes in German and in Turkish

About half of the students of the Aziz-Nesin primary school are of Turkish origin – and many of them are Muslims. That's part of the concept off this bilingual school. The classes are in German and in Turkish. And when it comes to all the different holidays in Turkey and Germany – the kids celebrate them all.

Eleven-year-old Ömer says his family celebrates Ramadan every year…

"My whole family fasts. We get up really early in the morning at four o'clock so I don't have to fast too much during the day but I am always hungry. You become light because you don't have anything in your stomach. And then you can't wait to eat – you want to eat everything. But you have to wait."

But how do you manage not to eat when everybody around you is eating delicious sandwiches for lunch? Ömer has his own special way of dealing with that.

"You just have to stick with it. I usually go out and play soccer. This way I don't have to think about it."

Next to Ömer sits Malte. He's German and laughs as he remembers Ömer telling him once that he accidentally ate chocolate during Ramadan.

Last summer, Malte says he didn't eat anything for a whole day while he was out cycling. He says it was horrible and he would never go the whole day without food.

"I wouldn't do that at all. I don't really believe in a God. But I don't know if I should believe in something or not."

Fasting to lose weight

Christal Kottmann-Mentz is the principal of the Aziz-Nesin School. She is not a Muslim but has fasted a couple times herself. Mainly to lose weight, she jokingly admits, but also to experience what some of her students go through every year.

As a school principal, she had to make a decision whether to support fasting or not. During Ramadan, the regular school routine continues – tests have to be taken and students have to do push-ups in sports classes.

"Well, I won't say anything anymore. When I was a teacher I did. I talked to students about it and asked if they could handle it. Sometimes, I spoke with parents. Even the Koran says that children, older people or ill people don't have to fast. But the kids want to be part of this special time. They say, I fast because everybody in my family fasts. And I accept that. I think it's important that the kids know why they are doing something and that means everyone has to know about it too... not just only the ones who are fasting but also those who are non-Muslims."

And while the older kids in the fourth grade are talking seriously about religious customs, the kids in the second grade are a bit more lively.

Sidame kisses the back of the hand of her friend and puts the hand to the forehand and then kisses her friend on each side of the cheek – a Muslim greeting.

"Well, the little children kiss the older people on the hand, just like I showed it to my friends. And after that, they give us money or sweets or something like that."

For the German Kids at the Aziz-Nesin school, Christmas is just around the corner. However, the Turkish kids will have to wait until next year to celebrate Ramadan and their sugarfest again. In the meantime, Ömer will not have to play soccer to take his mind off from being a little hungry at lunch time.

Stephanie Duckstein