LATAA Hosted Its Annual Iftar Dinner.
Los Angeles Turkish American Association (LATAA) hosted its annual Iftar dinner Saturday evening on Veteran Center in Culver City to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. More than 120 guests attended to the event.
Iftar dinner started with adhan(ezan) by Yeni Camii’s Cemil Sever. Delicious lentil soup, hummus, salad, chicken and beef kebab, rice and all kinds of desserts were served.
After the dinner, In his brief remark LATAA president Murat Mese underlined the importance of togetherness and said he was very happy to gather here. He thanked to those for attending the iftar dinner in which they served best examples of the Turkish cuisine and he added “I thank you to my friends who really really worked hard to make this happen”.
LATAA treasurer Burcu Tansu gave new members paintings donated by Local Turkish Artists.
The purpose of Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calender and a time during which 1.7 billion Muslims around the world – including 8 million in the US – observe an obligatory fast from dawn until sunset. It was in Ramadan that the Koran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad(pbuh), an event Muslims mark by fasting, reading the Koran, performing additional prayers, and giving in charity.
The Arabic word for fasting, sawm, means “to refrain,” and Muslims believe the entire body fasts during Ramadan – the tongue from backbiting, the eyes from seeing unlawful things, and the ears from listening to gossip or obscene language, for example. As such, Ramadan acts as a month-long exercise in discipline, cleansing, and refocusing one’s attention on worshiping God.
What is Iftar?
Each day of Ramadan, millions of fasting Muslims eagerly await iftar, the evening fast-breaking meal. Muslims break their fast at sunset, usually with a date and a glass of water – a tradition that goes back to Muhammad (pbuh)– followed by an assortment of cultural dishes.
The iftar meal is usually made with family and friends, often at home, sometimes in the mosque. As the hunger pangs of fasting Muslims are meant to be a stark reminder of those without food and material comforts, Muslims are also instructed to feed needy members of the community during iftar.
