So what exactly is Ramadan? A 3-minute summary of the month celebrated by millions
1. What is Ramadan? Ramadan is the 9th month of the hijri calendar — a lunar calendar observed by Muslims all over the world. It’s the equivalent of September in our standard Gregorian calendar.
A Muslim year consists of 12 months. Each month starts when the moon is in its crescent phase, and lasts 29 or 30 days until the next crescent moon is observed. This makes the lunar year at 10 or 11 days shorter than our standard 365-day year.
2. When is Ramadan? Because the Muslim year is shorter than the Gregorian year, Ramadan starts roughly 10 or 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. For example, in 2021, the start of Ramadan coincided with April 12th. In 2022, it’s expected to start April 2nd.
3. Why is Ramadan special? Muslims consider Ramadan a holy month because it was the month in which the Quran was first revealed to prophet Muhammad. For this reason, it’s a month dedicated to exceptional focus on worship, reflection, and connection with God and the community.
Ramadan is about self-evaluation and intentionality. It’s that time of the year to examine your life, set your direction, and renew your intentions. It’s a time to try to break bad habits or build good ones, to spend less time on things that are sinful, wasteful, or idle, and more time contributing to the betterment of your life and the lives of others.
4. How does one observe Ramadan? Fasting is the main form of worship in Ramadan, though it serves as part a much larger theme. All Muslims who are of age and capable are instructed to fast each day of the entire month, from dawn to sunset. This means abstaining from any food or drink, smoking, and sexual activity, as well as the less tangible but equally important requirement of upholding the highest standards of integrity. Fasting requires abstaining from dishonesty, gossip, profanity, aggression, and violence.
Aside from fasting, other tenets of Muslim faith receive special attention during Ramadan. These include giving to charity and participating in community service, reading the Quran, performing a special set of prayers in the evening and another one before dawn, and supplication — praying for yourself and others. Some Muslims even prefer to spend the entire month in spiritual retreat in a mosque.
5. What happens at the end of Ramadan? The last ten days of Ramadan are extremely significant and usually a period of additional worship and longer prayers. After the month ends, we celebrate the first three days of the following month in a major feast, or “eid”.
We start the first day of eid with a morning prayer at the mosque, we give the eid charity, hand out candy to kids, and visit with friends and family. Traditional eid cookies are baked in some parts of the world.
