The Spirit of Ramadan
The Spirit of Ramadan is a project to showcase how the holy month of Ramadan is celebrated leading up to the festive day of Eid.
We hope you learn and enjoy our weekly content! We wish all our muslim community 'Ramadan Kareem!'
Also check out our visual story compilation of Eid festivities and celebrations enjoyed by our local Muslim community. Family gatherings, Cultural outfits, Henna, Dancing, Food and Prayers!
Spirit of Ramadan - Week 4:
Week 4 of the 'Spirit of Ramadan' features seniors observing Ramadan rituals. Subra, a 79 yr old senior follows her daily Ramadan routine with vigor, starting with her pre-dawn meal or Suhoor. Also listen to a recipe on Dahi Vada (Lentil cakes soaked in Yogurt sauce)
Spirit of Ramadan - Week 3:
Week 3 of the 'Spirit of Ramadan' features a short clip on different rituals about Ramadan. Also, find out about Eidi (a gift giving and receiving ritual)
Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal eaten before the fasting begins.
Eidi is a gift that is usually given to children by elder relatives and family friends as part of the celebration of the two Muslim holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The most common is a gift of money to younger relatives.
Spirit of Ramadan - Week 2:
Week 2 of Ramadan features a popular dish 'Kebab' prepared for Iftar. Also meet a family sitting around the table and sharing their meal for Iftar. Ramadan Kareem!
Kebabs are various cooked meat dishes with their origins in Middle Eastern cuisine. Numerous variants are popular around the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebab
Iftar is the meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan to break their fast after sunset.
Spirit of Ramadan - Week 1:
Week 1 features one of our youngest members of the community reciting the story of Ramadan and a quick recipe of Fruit Chaat (spiced fruit salad) demonstrated by a member as a favorite Iftari item.
Did you know...
Ramadan is the month of fasting between dawn and sunset. The name Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word ramida or ar-ramad, denoting intense scorching heat and dryness. Some say it is so called because Ramadan scorches out the sins with good deeds. Though fasting is mandatory only for adults, children as young as eight willingly observe fasting with their elders.
Ramadan brings out a special feeling of emotional excitement and religious zeal among Muslims of all ages. Children look forward to the excitement of sighting the moon and eating special meals with their families after sunset. The 30th day marks the end of the fasting month. The day after Ramadan is celebrated as Eid-al-Fitr where people have festivities, food, sweets and attend prayers.
The Significance of the Moon during Ramadan...
The sighting of the moon signifies the start and the end of the holy month of Ramadan of the Muslim calendar. The entire month depends on the lunar calendar and hence the dates keep changing every year.
Since the new moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, the beginning and ending dates of Ramadan depend on what lunar sightings are received in each respective location. This is due to the cycle of the moon.
