O Kaaba, O Kaaba, how steadfast is the Qibla.

            Ramadan Kareem everyone! The holy month of Ramadan is upon us, and it is the time for family gatherings, heightened spirituality, and self reflection. For a little more detail about this holy month check out an article I wrote a couple years back for the Dearborn Patch:Five Things Everyone Should Know About Ramadan.

One of my favorite things to see for every holiday is how people decorate their homes in celebration. I am happy to see a lot more homes decorated for Ramadan in Dearborn! I have been seeing larger than life “Ramadan Mubarak” banners across front porches, twinkling lights, and the famous moon and star symbol hanging on windows. Now that I have a daughter, I really wanted to make it a point this year to decorate my own home for Ramadan. I want Madina to know that the month of Ramadan is of utmost importance in our household. And, I want the Eid to feel just like Christmas morning would to a young Christian child.

Speaking of Christmas, even as a Muslim, it’s hard not to soak up the aura that Christmas time exudes. When I think of Christmas, I picture the colorful lit homes, the dazzling Christmas trees with all their hanging ornaments, and the fresh, white snow as it brightens the dark night with its sparkling glow. It’s no wonder a lot of Muslims partake in the Christmas festivities—some even put up Christmas trees in their homes.

Likewise, because the Christmas tree is so popular … many Muslims will put it up during Ramadan or Eid and refer to it as “Eid/Ramadan tree”. However, I decided to steer away from the Christmas tree when thinking about a decorative symbol for Ramadan. Not that I don’t condone the tree, I just wanted something that was different; an eye-catching symbol to decorate my home.

After a conversation with a friend about possible decor options, we discussed the perfect idea (among many, actually). If you ask anyone who has ever been to hajj (the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca) to describe the Kaaba, the answers can all be summed up into one word: Breathtaking. I have yet to go to hajj, (god willing I will get to go soon) but the Kaaba is such a prominent and beautiful structure in Islam … so why not use a Kaaba as a representative symbol? So after a few hours of feeling crafty I created my own little Kaaba to decorate for Ramadan. Here are some pictures: 

How I did it:

I actually don’t want to tell you how I did this, only because I made it a lot harder than it had to be. I’m just going to give you a much simpler direction: Find a cardboard box big enough to fit presents inside. Be sure to take into consideration the size of your family and how many gifts you will need. If you can find a box with a lid, that’s even better. I’m sure they are out there somewhere because I’ve seen people do gender reveal parties with big boxes that balloons fly out of.

Go to a crafts store (Michaels, Joann Fabric, etc.) and find black wrapping paper and glue it on to all the sides of the box. You can use Elmer’s glue for this. I also bought this yellow shimmering poster board that I thought would do well for the Kaaba’s detail. If you go to a fabric store, they have a lot of pretty gold rolls that you can use … or if you’re artsy you can even use paint! Anyway, I cut the poster board into four thick strips and wrapped them around the black box using tape to stick. I then cut even smaller pieces of the gold cardboard to go underneath the first wrap. If you Google search how the Kaaba looks, it has Arabic writing around it. So, I Googled (should be a legitimized verb) the word “Allah” and printed and cut out the calligraphy (four; one on each side) that you see in the above picture.

Using the Christmas stocking concept, I bought two small gift bags and labeled them with our names to use to accumulate sadaqa (charity). And, finally, I bought a little chalk board with a stand so that I can write a different Quranic verse every few days. You can get really creative with this. Mine is pretty simple, but I wanted to share the idea with you because I think it’s a nice alternative to the tree if you were looking for one. I plan on buying some white lights to go around my Kaaba as well! 

Did you decorate your home for Ramadan? If so, how did you do it? Let me know in the comment section! I look forward to hearing your ideas!