The evening of Wednesday, May 12, marks the beginning of Id al-Fitr (also spelled Eid al-Fitr) in many parts of the world. Id al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan, an Islamic holy month when Muslims may not eat or drink from morning until night. Muslims celebrate their accomplishment of the monthlong fast by offering gifts and charity and sharing festive meals. Id al-Fitr means Feast of Fast-Breaking in Arabic.

Id al-Fitr takes place during the first three days of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. It moves backward through the seasons, because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon. That makes the Islamic year much shorter than the solar year. Id al-Fitr is also called the smaller festival, in comparison with Id al-Ad-ha, the other major festival of Islam, which lasts four days.

In the morning on the first day of Id al-Fitr, Muslims gather in open spaces or in a mosque an hour after sunrise to perform a special community festival prayer service, which includes a special prayer called the salat al-id. The three days of the festival are filled with visits and meals shared with family, friends, and neighbors. Children receive gifts.

In Turkey, Id al-Fitr is called the sweets festival. A popular dessert is baklava, made of thin layers of pastry, honey, and chopped nuts. Another pastry, kadayif, is made with shredded wheat.

The evening of Monday, April 12, marks the beginning of Ramadan in the United States. Ramadan is an Islamic holy month when Muslims may not eat or drink from morning until night. Muslims celebrate Ramadan as the month in which the prophet Muhammad received the first of the revelations that make up the Qur’ān, the holy book of Islam.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Because the Islamic calendar is based on cycles of the moon—rather than the sun, like the Western Gregorian calendar—Ramadan does not fall at the same time each year. This year, Ramadan began the evening of April 12 and ends on the evening of May 12.

The term Ramadan comes from the word Ramz, meaning great heat or burning. Ramadan is believed to cleanse a person of sins. Muslims are supposed to seek forgiveness from God during this month.

All Muslims must fast if they have reached puberty and are of sound mind. Exceptions are made for some groups, such as the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, and travelers. Those who are able, however, must make up the missed fast days at a later time. A Muslim who deliberately breaks the fast must atone by fasting for two months or feeding the poor.

Fasting begins at dawn and lasts until sunset. During this time, Muslims cannot eat food or drink beverages. The daily fast is broken by a light meal called the iftar, followed by the evening prayer.

Fasting helps Muslims to experience and apply many teachings from the Qur’ān in their daily lives. Such teachings include compassion, self-control, and spiritual reflection. Fasting also teaches Muslims to sympathize with those who are less fortunate.

The nights during Ramadan are devoted to special prayers and to recitations from the Qur’ān. During the last 10 days, some Muslims seclude themselves in a mosque to devote time to prayer and religious contemplation. A mosque is a building used for Muslim worship. The end of Ramadan is celebrated by a great festival called Īd al-Fitr.

Like so many events this year, Ramadan might look different than in years past. In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. But, limiting the spread of germs doesn’t mean you can’t observe Ramadan!

One socially distant way to participate in Ramadan is to attend virtual prayer sessions. You can also learn about Islamic art. You might not be able to build a fantastic mosque on your kitchen table. But you can use clay to replicate craftworkers’ detailed carved wood patterns. In Islamic art, wood has been used for doors, boxes, ceilings, panels, prayer niches, and pulpits. Woodworkers often carved elaborate inserts into a plain geometrical framework of star designs. However you choose to observe, we hope you have a safe and spiritual Ramadan!

June 7, 2016

Muslims pray at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, during the holy month of Ramadan.
Credit: © AFP/Getty Images

On Sunday night, June 5, at the sighting of the new, crescent moon, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began in many parts of the world. Ramadan is a month of fasting when Muslims who are physically able to do so avoid eating or drinking during daylight hours. Such fasting is thought to purify the faithful physically and spiritually. It also helps bring to mind the poor, and many Muslims give to charities or perform charitable acts during Ramadan. According to Islam, Ramadan is the month when the prophet Muhammad received the first of the revelations that comprise the Qur’ān, the holy book of Islam. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, formal acts of worship that provide a framework for Muslim life.

In addition to avoiding food and drink, observant Muslims abstain from smoking and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset. At night, they may eat, drink, and resume other normal activities. They break the daily fast with a meal known as iftar. Later, an extremely early predawn meal prepares Muslims for the day ahead. In some Middle Eastern countries, the government enforces fasting, and people who eat during the day may be fined or even arrested. In addition to being a time for fasting, Ramadan is a period for special prayer and religious contemplation. Nightly prayer at a mosque and recitation from the Qur’ān are common Ramadan practices.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year, which is based on lunar months rather than solar months. For this reason, Ramadan moves backward by about 10 days each year, migrating through the seasons. In many parts of the world, different seasons have longer or shorter days, meaning longer or shorter periods of fasting. In some far northern locations, such as northernmost Sweden, the sun does not set for months at a time during summer. Muslims there observe Ramadan based on the day’s length elsewhere, such as Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city of Islam.

A major Islamic festival called Id al-Fitr (Feast of Fast-Breaking) marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims celebrate Id al-Fitr during the first three days of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. On the first morning of the festival, they attend special prayer services. Throughout the festival, they visit and share meals with family, friends, and neighbors, and children receive gifts.