SOUTH JORDAN — The South Jordan home is painted a bright turquoise, but the vibrant color is indistinguishable in the dark, early morning. The house lights are the only ones illuminated on the street.

Inside lives the Kariparduc family. They’ve awoken at 3:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, then begin a fast that starts when the sun rises and ends when it goes back down. This fast, known as Ramadan, is a 30-day Islamic religious practice during which observers do not eat or drink while the sun is in the sky.

“There are many, many different reasons that we fast. For me, most important thing is we realize greatness of God,” said Zeynep Kariparduc, the matriarch of the family.

The fast occurs during the ninth month of the Muslim year and is determined by the lunar calendar, meaning the dates of the ritual differ each year. This year, Muslims in Utah ended their monthlong fast Monday, then will celebrate the end of the observance Tuesday through Thursday in a festival known as Eid.

But what is it actually like to fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days? Follow the Kariparduc family through a typical (and not so typical) day of Ramadan:

Suhur

The Kariparduc family gathers around the table to eat their pre-dawn meal known as suhur. The sun will begin to rise just 25 minutes later, and the family will need to say their morning prayers soon after. Fasting is hard at first but becomes easier as your body accustoms to it, they all agree.

The food isn’t your typical breakfast fare, though. The family of six feasts on leftovers from the night before, including flaky Turkish meat pastries called börek, boiled eggs and a tomato and cucumber spread.

The Kariparduc family is originally from Turkey but came to the United States nearly 10 years ago for a job in California. Just four months later, however, they moved to Utah and have remained in the Beehive State ever since.

“We heard this (state) is family based, and that’s why we stayed here, and we really are happy here. We really love it,” said Coskun Kariparduc, the father of the family.

Coskun, who goes by “Josh” sometimes, is a math teacher at Matheson Junior High School in Magna and is exceptionally proud of his school. Zeynep is a volunteer coordinator at a home health and hospice center but was also recently named co-chair of the Salt Lake Interfaith Round Table. She’s the “spokesperson of the family,” Coskun laughed.

The couple has four children: 21-year-old Muhammed, 17-year-old Nihal, 14-year-old Hakan and 11-year-old Zuhal. They’re all gathered around the table, though perhaps a bit bleary-eyed, when an Arabic call sounds over a small speaker on the mantel.

The family hastily excuses themselves from the table and rushes to the kitchen to drink as much water as they can. The call is an alarm: the sun is rising.

Salat

After hydrating themselves, the family returns to the table to talk, though the children begin drifting back to bed until only Coskun, Zeynep and Nihal are left. They’ll eventually return to bed too, but first they must say morning prayers.

Each day, Muslims say five prayers, or salat, whether or not they’re observing Ramadan. The first prayer is called fajr and must be completed before sunrise. The other four happen during the afternoon, before sunset, just after sunset and then again before bed. During Ramadan, a sixth prayer is said after the last prayer. It is called Tarawih and lasts about 20 minutes, Coskun said.

During their prayer, Zeynep and Coskun face Mecca, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith. Nihal wonders aloud whether the prayers look strange to a non-Muslim as her parents kneel in front of a fireplace decorated with a twinkling “Happy Ramadan” sign.

Muqabala

Ramadan commemorates the month the prophet Muhammad received revelation that would eventually become the Quran, a book of teachings that Muslims consider to be holy scripture. Faithful Muslims read and recite a chapter of the Quran each day of Ramadan, meaning they’ll finish the book by the end of the month.

This is called muqabala, Zeynep said. It can take about 30 minutes a day if you’re a fast reader, and you can do it anytime during the day.

“We had a reading group, and we just finished reading the entire Quran today, so we have been reading and reading and reading every day,” Zeynep said happily.

Iftar

Though she went back to bed for a while after morning prayer, Zeynep has been fasting — and cooking — all day. Iftar is the evening meal that breaks the day’s fast, but this iftar will be a little different.

The Kariparducs have invited 30 of their neighbors over for dinner to break the fast with them, and Zeynep has been preparing since she woke up again that morning.

Ramadan is a time to serve and socialize, and the Kariparduc family tries to share their evening meal with someone else every day, Zeynep explained. They’ve eaten with other Muslim congregations, the homeless, the Interfaith Round Table and even organized a meal with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The year before, Zeynep said she invited over some neighbors, though she was hesitant and wary of how they would take the invitation. But it turned out “amazing,” she said, and now they have a close friendship with their neighbors.

This year will be even bigger, she says.

As neighbors begin to stream in, they marvel at the long table decorated with lanterns and little wooden signs that say “Ramadan Mubarak,” or “blessed Ramadan.” At 9 p.m., the Arabic call alarm goes off again and everyone remains silent until two prayers are said: one by a Latter-day Saint and the other by Zeynep’s son Muhammed.

After the prayer, everyone eats the dates sitting by their plates (a tradition taught by the prophet Muhammad), then takes their plates up to the counter. They load them up with everything from rice wrapped in grape leaves (sarma) to a meatloaf-like dish that took 10 hours to prepare.

After the event, one of the neighbors shares a post on the community Facebook page:

“A Mormon, Muslim, gay man, atheist, Evangelical Christian and a media journalist walk into a bar. OK, it wasn't a bar, but a cozy home. … Last night we sat at a Ramadan dinner feast with many of our awesome neighbors. All of us from various walks of life. It was like the United Nations of Daybreak. We prayed together in various forms, we laughed, we ate, we told stories and learned from one another. Not a single mention of hate, politics, judgment or anything other than the opportunity to connect and celebrate.”

It's exactly what Zeynep had hoped for.

Zakat

For the Kariparduc family, however, Ramadan doesn’t just bring the family closer to neighbors, but also to those in need. This, in turn, brings them closer to God, or Allah.

“Sometimes we eat, and we have bounties around us, and we use everything without thinking. But when we fast … then I realize, ‘Wow, this is a big generosity God created for us,’” Zeynep said. “Fasting makes us spiritually closer to God.”

Coskun said experiencing hunger also helps them feel compassion and understanding for those in need. All faithful Muslims donate 2.5% of their annual savings to charity during the month of Ramadan, though Zeynep said their family tries to give more throughout the year too. The Ramadan donation is called zakat.

“The prophet Muhammad said a real Muslim cannot sleep if he or she knows that his neighbor is hungry,” Coskun said. “This is the golden rule.”

Eid

Eid is a three-day feast that celebrates the end of Ramadan. This celebration began Tuesday for Utah Muslims, and some will continue it until Thursday.

For the Kariparduc family, this celebration culminates a month of introspection and learning. Zeynep hopes others can recognize the peace that Islam can bring too, despite contradictory things they may see on the news.

“Islam makes us peaceful people, and people who are devoted to community and God. A good Muslim is supposed to be serving others,” she said. “Our Muslim sisters and brothers here in Salt Lake City, we are really trying hard to show our belief to others, and we are trying to be a good example to society. This is the best way to teach others Islam (is) peace for me.”

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