Ramadan
What is Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr?
Ramadan is the 9th and the most sacred month in the Islamic calendar. On the 29th day of Sha'ban - the 8th month in the Islamic calendar, the western horizon is scanned for the new moon. Upon sighting the new crescent, immediately after the sunset, Ramadan begins, though fasting begins with the next dawn. If the moon is not sighted on the 29th day, then 30 days of Sha'ban is completed and Ramadan begins the next day.

Eid-ul-Fitr or Ramadan festival marks the end of the month, Ramadan.

What is the Significance of Ramadan?
In this religious month, Muslims engage in prayers and charity. The most significant feature here though is the fasting undertaken during daytime. This restraint helps the devotees to:
1- Appreciate and to be thankful for one's life's simple pleasures such as eating and drinking, which will not be valued if one can indulge all the time
2-Learn self-control, as one cannot eat or drink however hungry until the prescribed time. This exercise thus teach one to avoid temptation and wrongdoing
3- Feel compassion and empathy for the poor and hungry, which will prompt one to help those in need
4- Develop an attitude of humbleness towards this world and its desires, thereby being able to engage more in worship and spiritual advancement

The Special Food during Ramadan
When it is time to break fast, the first thing eaten is dates, in imitation of what the Prophet did.

For breaking fast, the special foods include:
1- Kanji or Congee Surtapam - rolled pancakes with panipol
2-Pillawoos - crunchy, deep-fried banana batter, drizzled with treacle
3- Ada - soft, juggery cakes
4- Addukku Roti - layers of pancakes with a minced beef or chicken filling, baked in a pastry covering
5-Pastol - rice flour and coconut patty with tripe filling
6- Al-basara - shredded beef or chicken with semolina, baked like a cake The special drinks include:
7- Sherbet - rose syrup mixed in milk with poppy seeds floating on top
8-Almond Milk - a milky drink made out of almonds