Right after completing my University studies, I went to one of the predominantly Muslim provinces in the Philippines, the province of Sulu, to teach in one of the 3 colleges there in the capital town of Jolo, the Notre Dame of Jolo College. As a fresh graduate who had lived for all of his life in a Christian environment – the Philippines being a predominantly Christian nation (90% as of the latest official statistics) – living and working in a Muslim province for 2 years was a life-changing experience. Adjusting to a new culture, learning a new dialect and forming friendships, principally with my students, shaped to a large extent the person that I am today.
One of the main influences was the religion that the people practised, Islam. I was greatly impressed by how deeply Islam shaped the lives of the people. Where we would say “Hi”, “Good morning” or “How are you” when we meet other people as we go about our daily lives, the people of Sulu would greet each other “Assalam Mualaikum” – the Peace of Allah be with you – to which the response would be “Mualaikum Assalam” – the Peace of Allah likewise be with you.
Before taking meals or going out of the house for the day in the morning, devout Muslims would say “Bismillah hir-Rahman hir-Rahim” – In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful” – dedicating the actions they would take to Allah. Taking time out 5 times a day to say the required prayers is something most people would do.
The Muslims go by lunar months, which generally run for 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. Thus the Islamic calendar year which runs for 12 months is shorter than the calendar year most of the rest of the world follows, which is the Gregorian calendar decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century.
The Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. During this month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The act of fasting is a ritual of purification, and the month is also seen as a period of spiritual reflection.
Out of respect for my students – and, I have to admit, a sense of adventure – I joined my students in observing the fast when Ramadan came along. I was renting a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Jolo and a number of students, about a dozen or so, decided they would move in with me to keep me company. They didn’t all stay in my lodgings at the same time – we wouldn’t have fit! – but they took turns keeping me company.
So when Ramadan came around, I would not eat or drink during daytime – from sunrise to sunset – but come sunset the breaking of the fast or pagbukah was quite an experience. You start off with some water to quench the thirst which had built up throughout the day, followed by some local pastries: jualan (fried plantain), daral (something like a spring roll but with coconut filling), apam (a sweet pancake) and others. While the standard beverage that Tausugs – the dominant tribe in Sulu – take is native coffee, during the breaking of the fast one of the special beverages is santan, essentially sugared coconut milk with boiled rice and bits of boiled bananas. This was my favorite, the santan. I looked forward to drinking.
These appetizers would be followed by the main meal – rice with tiyulah itum, a black meat soup made up of boiled beef cooked with charred coconut (which gives the soup its black color) with all sorts of spices, other kinds of tiyulah or soup such as fish soup, grilled fish, beef and chicken, vegetables and gamay, a variety of fresh seaweed mixed with chopped tomatoes and onions which one would put in a plate on the side with soy sauce and fresh chili peppers.
After having had our fill, we would take a nap and wake up an hour before sunrise to have breakfast, mainly the leftovers from the breaking of the fast or bukah and coffee.
But often, if we would wake earlier, I would persuade my companions to go for a stroll to the coffee shops in the area – they would be open all night – to go for my favorite Santan! Sitting in a coffee shop in Plaza Tulay in downtown Jolo at 3 a.m., sipping a hot glass of santan, this is a lingering memory of Ramadan in Jolo in days gone by.