Ramadan is the holiest of times in Islam. It starts when the new moon of the 9th calendar month of the Muslim lunar calendar is visually sighted. A new moon is crescent shaped which is why you see it so prominently on islamic flags. Hopefully I will get a good photo of the moon this evening for posting. It is similar to lent in that people fast from sun up to sun down daily during the entire month. Because it is a visual sighting, the next new moon must also be sighted by holymen to indicate its end. Ramadan last 29 or 30 days depending on these holymen's dictates. Because it is based on a lunar rather than solar calendar, the date moves forward each year by about a month. In the course of a decade, it will land in almost every month.
Today, July 20, was Hilal, the first day after the new moon.
Sawab, or fasting, is a demonstration of each persons submission to god. It is a spiritual reflection and is to turn the heart away from worldly activities and redirect it toward spiritual well-being. Children prior to reaching puberty, nursing and pregnant women, and some other subsets of society are exempt. To compensate for the fasting, Muslim working hours are altered during Ramadan to account for the well-being of those fasting. Thus, Muslim employees will work shortened days during the month.
Iftar is the first meal after sun down. It is usually a feast on par with Thanksgiving...except it happens daily during Ramadan. Restaurants and coffee shops are closed until Iftar each day. Because the fasting lasts so late in the day, the shops stay open until midnight to 2AM to match the zeal of those who went without all day. Ramadan tents with shisha, flavored tobacco, spring up almost everywhere and are very communal in nature. I will have photos at a later date. Iftar starts at sundown but is signified by the firing of a large cannon...which just fired and startled me as I write this on my balcony. Now the breaking of the fast can begin!
There is also a heightened sense of charity during the month as well. Zakat is much like a tithe in that it is a fixed percentage, except it goes to the poor, and Sadaqa is a voluntary form of giving, which is dependent on each individual. Most shops/malls/restaurants will offer free arabic coffee and date treats in honor of the charity of the days.
Girgaoun is on the 14th night and is a time when people, mostly children, dress in costumes much like Halloween...excdept their dress is more traditional. Again, more photos will follow to illustrate theday for you.
Eid is the celebration following Ramadan. That will be explained at a later time.
Many believe that Ramadan literally translates as the 'shortness of rations'. Perhaps Ramadan started as a practice to ensure that during the hardest times of the year, the food supplies would not run out. Regardless, it has come to be a significant time of self-reflection and charity in the Islamic world.
