Mores Fast facts about Ramadan

Happy Ramadan!

 

This Saturday, over 1.5 billion Muslims will begin a 29-day fast for the month of Ramadan, one of the holiest times on the Islamic Calendar. It celebrates the Muslim belief that the Koran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad during this month. Here are some fast facts.

Ramadan is hot, hot, hot

Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s named after the Islamic word for intense heat, as the month traditionally fell in the summertime when it was named.

It rotates throughout the year

It can get confusing for non-Muslims to keep track of when Ramadan is — about 10 years ago it happened around Christmas and Hannukah. This is because the Islamic calendar is lunar, as opposed to the civil calendar, which is solar. The lunar year is shorter than the solar year, so Ramadan begins about 11 days earlier every year.

Fasting is super strict

Unlike Lent, where Christians decide to give up chocolate, pizza, or nothing at all, fasting during all 29 days of Ramadan is mandatory. From dawn until sunset, all food, naughty language, smoking, fighting, and sex are strictly forbidden. Time spent not doing these things means more time for prayer, reading the Koran, and donating to charity.

But some people don’t have to do it

Kids, diabetics, the ill and elderly, and women who are menstruating, pregnant or breastfeeding don’t have to fast — because collapsing from hunger isn’t a good look. But you don’t get out of it forever — if you are not chronically ill, you should make up your fasting days as soon as you can when Ramadan is over. If you can’t make up the fast, you should try to feed one person a day for 60 days.

Even death doesn’t excuse you

If a person dies during the month of Ramadan, having fasting days left, whoever is in charge of their affairs must continue the fast on their behalf, typically after they’ve completed their own fast.

What happens after it’s over?

When the days of fasting are up, Muslims have a three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr, or “festival of the breaking of the fast,” where people come together to eat (finally, lunch!), exchange presents, and enjoy each other’s company.