The holy month of Ramadan is almost here, and Muslims around the world are ready to observe the month with a sense of gratitude, prayer, and community. And while some Ramadan traditions are culturally specific, others like gift-giving are universal. Here’s a quick look at what that means, and how you can shop and ship Ramadan gifts to any country.
THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY MONTH
While fasting and praying are a central part of the Ramadan tradition, there are several other cultural traditions followed by Muslims around the world, and various countries have their own unique customs too.
The Egyptians are known for their ‘Fanus’ lantern decorations, Muslims in Java observe ‘Padusan’ by bathing in holy springs, and it is common in the Middle East and South Asia to have a designated person in the neighborhood make an announcement in the streets or in the Mosque to wake the Muslims for the Suhoor meal. Mosques and other public places also commonly host Iftar gatherings when the fast is over.
Another widely observed tradition across the Muslim world in the month of Ramadan is gift-giving. Some gifts are specific to the Holy month, such as clothing for the upcoming Eid holiday or attar (traditional non-alcoholic perfume popularly used in the Gulf and the Middle East), while other gifts are more general in nature and may range from toys for the children to jewelry and handbags.
PICKING THE RIGHT GIFT
If you’ve been thinking of what you can get for your friends or family this Ramadan, there are plenty of wonderful options to choose from. It’s so typical to run out of gift ideas the moment you need good advice in gift-giving; we’ve all been there! But to kickstart your mind, here are some general categories to consider when deciding what to get as a Ramadan gift.
- Traditional jewelry never fails to impress, and it makes for the perfect gift
- Perfume or attar is a good idea even if it isn’t Ramadan; it’s a classic gift choice that’s loved by everyone
- Beauty kits rarely go unused at the hands of the beauty guru, and let’s face it: we all know at least one
- Home appliances aren’t the obvious first choice but make a great difference in anyone’s day-to-day life
- Watches could be either analog or smart! Make sure you know if they’re one type or another
- Toys are always a go-to for children, and there’s more variety now than ever
- Handbags are a go-to choice for so many people, and they’re timelessly appropriate
- Gaming gear is one of the options that’s incredibly popular but gets overlooked by many; never underestimate the power of play!
- Clothing and shoes are a standard Ramadan gift and Eid gift as well and should be on your list if nothing else
SHIPPING GIFTS FROM THE USA
If you’d like to buy gifts from the US and get them shipped to your country, Global Shopaholics can simplify the process for you. You’ll receive your own free US shipping address, with 180 days of storage and affordable package forwarding services. You can ship anything from a US store to your US shipping address. If you want to ship multiple items from various stores, they’ll be kept in your storage, ready to be shipped together.
When you’re ready to ship them to your country, you can opt for package consolidation to combine the packages into one box, which helps you save on shipping costs. Global Shopaholics also offers guaranteed lowest international shipping costs, and a Price Match Guarantee, meaning if you find any other service offering a lower shipping cost, we’ll match it. You can sign up for Global Shopaholics for free.
GETTING ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR SHOPPING
All of this sounds great, but there’s one thing we left out. Ramadan can be a busy time for many. We get it: there’s plenty to do, balancing your fasting and work life can be challenging for some, and there’s not much time to spend shopping around. Global Shopaholics’ Assisted Purchase solves that problem by getting both the shopping and shipping done for you.
The way it works is simple.
Once you’ve created a free account, you get access to the Assisted Purchase request form, where you can share the URL links to all the items you want to buy. You can even select your shipping options and add comments. And that’s it! We’ll shop the products on your behalf, get them delivered to our warehouse, and forward them to your country. All of this for the lowest guaranteed shipping cost possible.
So if you’re still putting off on getting your Ramadan and Eid shopping done, now is the time. From everyone at Global Shopaholics, we hope you have a very blessed Ramadan!
