Overview 

Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim calendar, is the holy month of fasting. This year, Ramadan started on Feb. 28 and will end on Mar. 29. People will fast from sunrise to sunset and will typically break their fast with a celebratory dinner with family. Ramadan begins 10-12 days earlier every year since this calendar is shorter than the modern calendar. This allows it to fall in every season in a 33 year period. Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan that God revealed the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammed as guidance for people. Ramadan is a period for introspection, prayer, and reading the Qur’an. It is a time of self restraint from immoral behavior. 

Origin 

Ramadan dates back to 610 A.D. when an Arabic man, Muhammed, meditated in a cave near Mecca. During this, the angel Jibril, visited Muhammed and shared the first words of the Qur’an: that Allah is the one and only God. This first meeting is called Laylat al-Qadr and occurred on the 27th night of the lunar month. Ramadan became formalized around 622 A.D., when Muhammed and his followers were in Medina. This hot climate influenced the name Ramadan, which means “burning heat”. Ramadan is vital to the Islamic practice, but there are exceptions for people who are unable to fast due to health or age.