Hacivat-Karagöz shows, half-day fasting medals, and cotton candy-scented evenings... Ramadan in halal hotels is much more than a holiday for your children.
The best way to make children experience that 'Where are those old Ramadans?' nostalgia that we adults always talk about every Ramadan is through traditional entertainment. Many Islamic-concept hotels turn their lobbies or animation areas into an old Ottoman fair right after iftar. While paste stands, Ottoman sherbet sellers, and cotton candy carts make children's heads spin; Hacivat-Karagöz shadow plays, Meddah (traditional storyteller) stories, and Nasreddin Hodja sketches starting on the stage take them away from the screen and introduce them to our real culture. That sincere laughter your child bursts into while looking at Karagöz bickering on the screen, not at a tablet screen, will be the best photograph of your holiday.
The tremendous pedagogical tradition of Anatolia, 'tekne orucu' (boat fasting / half-day fasting), is the sweetest way to encourage children to fast without keeping them hungry all day. Mini clubs in halal hotels turn this into a game during the month of Ramadan. Little ones who do not eat until noon are awarded special 'Half-Day Fasting Success Medals' by hotel animators. At the iftar table in the evening, 'Children's Iftar Buffets' decorated with fancy plates prepared specifically for children, dates, and their favorite foods await them. Feeling like a valuable part of that table just like adults, children learn not the hardship of fasting, but the tremendous blessing and enthusiasm of eating together.
A holiday does not mean swimming in the pool all day. Workshops organized in kids' clubs at certain times of the day shape their spiritual world. Making their own Ramadan lanterns (mahya) from cardboard, mosque painting activities, or basic religious knowledge games divided according to age groups allow children to learn without getting bored. While you parents pray your tarawih peacefully in the masjid, short 'children's tarawihs' with a taste of a game are performed for children accompanied by experienced instructors. These moments where prayers are recited all together with children's joy remove the concept of mosque and worship from being a 'boring duty' in your children's minds and turn it into a 'social and enjoyable meeting'.
The idea of traveling during Ramadan makes many parents think. You may worry, 'Will the children be deprived of that warm Ramadan atmosphere at home?'. However, new generation conservative hotels turn this worry into a festival.
In our children's memories, the rules of our religion should be placed with beauties, festivities, and smiles rather than prohibitions. A holiday you take during Ramadan, if you choose the right hotel, turns into a wonderful camp for your child to learn Islam with love. As HalalWorld.com, we carefully select not only those with good pools or food, but the family-friendly hotels where the 'Ramadan Kids Club' is the most active and which pass on our own culture to our little ones in the best way. This Ramadan, both rest with your family and witness those priceless smiles of your children. We wish you an auspicious, joyful holiday full of memories in advance!
