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Religion and Science Blend in a Centuries-Old Ritual
Egyptians buy traditional lanterns at a shop in Cairo in preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of daily fasting and nightly feasting.
(By Amr Nabil -- Associated Press)
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Egyptian radio and television carried the grand mufti's announcement live. For many of Cairo's 16 million people, the joint broadcasts were a jolting reminder that Ramadan almost was upon them.
Traffic slowed to gridlock in a half-hour. Families rushed to buy food for the first of the month's lavish meals and aid baskets.
At 6:17 p.m., the same time when the crescent is expected to appear Sunday, the astronomers bent in earnest over their telescopes.
Bystanders fell silent.
The men stood in the hush, minute after minute, squinting at the rim where earth met sky.
In the silence, the rusty voice of a single old man rose from a mosque in the valley below. Carrying out a ritual older than the moon-watch committees, the man called the faithful to evening prayers.
"Allah akbar," the mosque singer cried. "God is great."
From his chair in the parking lot, Berri raised his fingers to the sky as if to pinch the absent crescent moon.
He then brought his fingers to his mouth and kissed them.
"This is the best part, the mingling of science and religion," Berri said. "It's beautiful."
