In a Word . . . Ramadan

Be glad for our Muslims friends, neighbours and fellow citizens. Ramadan ended at the weekend. Their 30 days of fasting and prayer between sunrise and sunset have ended. Few would resent their joyous Eid celebrations over recent days. It is a version of Christmas in terms of festivities.

No Muslims are tested as are those in our latitudes when Ramadan falls at this time of year. It means no food, no drink – not even water – no smoking, no sex and little sleep in any 20-hour period out of the 24. Our short nights and long days make it a tougher month than would be the case for Muslims in other parts of the world.

And it will be like that next year too, when Ramadan extends from June 8th to July 7th, and in 2017, when it begins on May 27th extending to June 26th. Thereafter it becomes easier as the days shorten, going backwards.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and commemorates the first revelation of the Koran to Muhammad. Islam follows a lunar calendar which, as the word suggests, is based on the moon’s cycles. Consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 days, months are not linked to the seasons and drift backwards each solar year by 11-12 days.

Every month of the Islamic calendar begins with a new lunar cycle. Traditionally, this is based on witnessing the crescent marking the end of the previous lunar cycle and the previous month, so beginning the new month. As a result, each month can have 29 or 30 days, depending on the visibility of the moon, the astronomical positioning of the Earth and weather conditions. Some Muslims use a calendar where odd months have 30 days and even months have 29.

In Saudi Arabia, the lunar calendar is the official calendar.

Every 33 years, approximately, the lunar year coincides with our more familiar solar year.

The first year of the Islamic calendar dates from AD 622 when Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina in what is known as the Hijra. According to that calendar, the current Islamic year is 1436 and runs from approximately October 24th, 2014 (evening) to October 13th, 2015 (evening). Ramadan, from the Arabic Ramadan (Turkish and Persian: Ramazan), originally meant "the hot month" – from ramida "be burnt, scorched".

[ inaword@irishtimes.com ]