Ramadan: What Do You Really Know About It?
Page 1 of 2Most people wouldn’t get quite so excited for Christmas or Hanukkah if they were preceded by a month of refraining from food, drinking, sex, smoking, and anything that is not of a good nature or done in excess from dawn until sunset. That’s exactly what the Muslim religion calls for during one of its biggest holidays, Ramadan. The fasting is meant to teach followers patience, modesty, spirituality, and to remind them of their religious obligations. Since it is for the sake of Allah, they’re also encouraged to pray more than usual. While roughly 22% of the world's population practices Islam, many non-Muslims know very little about their holidays. Here are five interesting basics you didn’t know about Ramadan.
1- Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendarThe Islamic calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar we use in the West. Ours is a solar calendar, based upon the sun’s movements. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar; each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon. While we have 365 days in a year, they have 354 days. Because the lunar year is shorter, each date on it falls about 10 or 11 days earlier than the solar calendar. Since each month begins upon the sighting of a new crescent moon, the beginning of Ramadan can only be predicted. Depending on weather and atmospheric conditions, it may be delayed. This year, it begins on August 1st.
2- Ramadan means "scorched earth”The word is derived from an Arabic root rmd, as in words like ramida or ar-ramad. Depending where you look, it means: scorched ground, shortness of rations, scorching heat, parched thirst, or sunbaked ground. Those are the general feelings of Muslims during the month, since the fast involves refraining from “moisture” — like drink, food and sex — during the daylight hours.
We have more interesting facts about Ramadan and fasting after the jump...