Ramadan thread: Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar which is a lunar one. This means it is roughly 10 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. Therefore the start of Ramadan moves up 10 days every year which is why it can fall during the summer and winter 1/

Ramadan is the month of fasting and observed by Muslims worldwide. You abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. It can be either or 30 days 2/

The start and end of Ramadan can be tricky because of the lunar calendar. Many Muslims follow estimates of the new moon. Many also prefer to sight it. Which can actually be fun! But also leads to "moon wars." And people fighting over who is right 3/

Side note/funny story. I once went up to my roof to see if I can see the moon and it was dark and all the sudden I hear a man's voice. I silently screamed and ran down the stairs.
Anyway Ramadan starts the night of May 5th this year. 4/

The purpose of fasting to shift the focus away from worldly desires and to practice self discipline.
You must start fasting when you hit puberty but you don't have to fast if you are traveling, sick, menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding. Sick can be physical or mental 5/

If you can't fast, you are required to make up the days at a later date (you can do it during the winter and it is not cheating). If you can't make it up, you can pay to feed someone in need. And if you can't do that, it's fine too. 6/

Many people start their day with suhoor or the pre-dawn meal. It's the time to power yourself up for the rest of day. Then you break your fast with a meal called iftar. 7/

You are also encouraged to increase in prayer and giving charity (sadqa).
Some people also choose to pay their zakat, the compulsory charity, every Ramadan. You must pay zakat if you maintain a certain amount of money for a full year. That amount is called nisab and varies 8/

If you don't meet that amount, you don't have yo pay zakat. If you do, you must pay 2.5% of your total wealth. It is important to note that you can't give zakat to direct family or people you are responsible for because you already have to do that. 9/

Some Muslims take part in nightly prayers called taraweeh. If you live near a mosque you might see people going every day roughly an hour or so after sunset.
In addition to zakat I like to give a small amount of charity every day. Let me know if you want to join! 10/

You might also hear people talking about the last ten nights. Laylat alQadr or the night of power is the holiest night of the year and is believed to be the night the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet (PBUH). 11/

It is believed to have occurred on an off night during the last ten. The reward of good deeds is multiplied well a lot so people tend to increase in worship during that time. 12/

So how do Muslims in non-Muslim majority countries approach Ramadan? It can be difficult when not everyone is fasting with you, but you make it work.