Ramadan

Today is the first day of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which is the month of Muslim fasting. The Muslim calendar is based on the moon, not on the sun as the one commonly used in the Western countries. In the Muslim calendar, there are 12 moon months. Each of them begins at the new moon and has 29 or 30 days. So, in the year, there are 354 or 355 days. Since it is not allowed to add the additional 13th month (as Arabs did before Islam), the Muslim year is 11 days shorter than the year based on the sun movement, and each month can be at any season. This year, Ramadan is from August 21 to September 19. Last year it began and ended 11 days later, next year it will begin and end 11 days earlier, and so on.

During Ramadan, each Muslim is required to abstain from eating, drinking, and smoking from the morning dawn to the sunset. There are exceptions for sick people, travelers, pregnant women, and in some other cases. However, they are required to fast the same number of days at another time. In some cases, there are some exceptions as well.

In addition to fasting in Ramadan which is fard (mandatory), there are some other special Muslim practices. There is an additional night prayer (tarawih) which is performed only in Ramadan. Tarawih is sunnah (desirable), and many Muslims perform it every night in a mosque. Also, in Ramadan, it is recommended to read Qur'an more than usually. In Islam, only the Arabic original of Qur'an is considered to be Qur'an, no translations. So, reading Qur'an is reading it in Arabic. During the last 10 days of Ramadan, it is advisable to spend longer time, especially, in nights, in prayers in mosques.

It is fard (mandatory) to eat something early in the morning before the morning dawn and right after the sunset. Some Muslims invite other people to their evening meal such as their relatives, friends, neighbors, and poor people. Thus, sometimes it also becomes an act of charity.

Muslims consider Ramadan to be a holy month. It is not just a month when they fast, exercising their will (it is not so easy to fast every day the whole month). This is the month of special Muslim worship to God. All the practices in this month (fasting, prayers, reading of Qur'an, feeding the poor) are the acts of worship to God according to Islam.