Breaking The Ramadan Fast In The Caribbean Region

The sunset meal to break the Ramadan fast is called iftar. Muslims break their fast at the time of the call to prayer for the evening prayer (Maghrib) at sunset. This is the second meal of the day; the daily fast during Ramadan begins immediately after the pre-dawn meal of suhur and continues during the daylight hours, ending with sunset with the evening meal of iftar. Traditionally the fast is broken with dates and water as per the practice of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.  Each Muslim community has supplemented this practice with foods from their ancestral homeland or current domicile.  The video above gives a glimpse of the variety of dishes prepared for breaking the fast in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, Suriname, St. Lucia, and Cuba. 

It is usual in the region for Muslims to gather in the local mosques to break the fast and offer the sunset prayer.  After the prayer, dinner is typically served either on a potluck basis or a meal prepared in the mosque compound but sponsored by one or more members of the mosque congregation.  With most mosques closed due to COVID-19 pandemic, the video highlights the breaking the fast meals of families in their homes.  These meals are typical of those served in the mosques.