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Mythic Holiday:
Ramadan
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RAMADAN

Muslims and non-Muslims alike recognise Ramadan as the most significant and holy time of the Islamic calendar. During the ninth month of the lunar year, Muslims around the world refrain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset, and they use their free time to recite the Qur’an and strengthen their bond with Allah (SWT). This is common knowledge for those within the Islamic community and those outside of it, too, but few people actually know the history behind such a significant month.
DATABASES
Muslims and non-Muslims alike recognise Ramadan as the most significant and holy time of the Islamic calendar. During the ninth month of the lunar year, Muslims around the world refrain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset, and they use their free time to recite the Qur’an and strengthen their bond with Allah (SWT). This is common knowledge for those within the Islamic community and those outside of it, too, but few people actually know the history behind such a significant month.
Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays. Ramadan always falls on the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar. Ramadan 2021 begins at sunset on Monday, April 12, and ends on Wednesday, May 12.
Fasting from sunrise to sunset is fard (obligatory) for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, travelling, elderly, breastfeeding, diabetic, or menstruating. The predawn meal is referred to as suhur, and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called iftar. Although fatwas have been issued declaring that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or polar night should follow the timetable of Mecca, it is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day.
The tradition began in the seventh century and commemorates the month when the Prophet Mohammed retreated to a cave north of Mecca for spiritual contemplation. Each year since, Ramadan’s weeks of spiritual introspection build toward Laylat al-Qadr, or the “Night of Power,” believed to be the holiest night of the year, according to BeliefNet. Shia Muslims recognize it as the 23rd night of Ramadan, while the Sunni observe it on the 27th night of the month. The Quran describes this singular evening of worship as “better than a thousand months.”
Ramadan, Arabic Ramaḍān, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Because the Muslim calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle. Ramadan lasts from Monday, April 12 to Tuesday, May 11 in 2021. (Dates are dependent on the appearance of the crescent moon and may vary across countries.)
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