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Ramzan
Ramzan (Id -Ul-Fitr)
Celebrated by: Muslims all over India
Significance: Breaking of the fast of the holy month of Ramadan.
Date: 11.4.2024
Ramzan
or Id -Ul-Fitr is a Musilm festival celebrated at the end of the Ramadan,
the ninth lunar month of the Islamic Calendar, the day following the appearance
of the new moon. The holy month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is
very auspicious to the Muslims the world over.
Ramzan means the 'festival of breaking the fast'. Fitr is said to be derived from the word
'fatar' meaning 'breaking' or 'fitrah' meaning 'alms'. It is an occasion
of feasting and rejoicing. In the morning of Ramzan, people break their fast by
having dates or any other fruit, dress well and gather in mosques to pray.
Family get-togethers and feasts are the major highlights of the celebrations.
Friends and relatives meet to exchange greetings 'Id Mubarak' and prayers.
'Idi' or presents of money are given to the youngsters by the family elders,
conveying their blessings. Special delicacies are prepared, like Seviyan and 'Shir Korma' a dish with milk and dates.
During the month of Ramadan, the Muslims are ordained to observe fast for 30 days (sometimes 29
days, owing to the early sighting of the crescent) starting with the sighting of
the new moon and end it after seeing the new moon the next month.
They fast during the day throughout that month, even without drinking water or
indulge in any form of pleasure.
Pious men among them spend the day during the month in prayer and reading their
holy book 'Quran'. They have their meal only at night. It is customary to break
the fast with a sip of water, dates or some other fruits. Muslims are required
to make a special effort to settle their differences and refrain from quarreling
and also give alms to the needy during this month. To a devout Muslim, Id is a time to
forget all past grievances.
It is believed that the holy book of Muslims, the Quran,
came into existence during this month. ProphetMohammad who was an illiterate
person was chosen by God to be His messenger to compile the holy book. The
last ten days are specially significant as the faithful watch for Lailathul
Qadr (the Night of Power) during which the revelation of the book to the Prophet
was completed. Apart from bringing the Muslims face to face with the hard
realities of life like the pangs of hunger, thirst and deprivation, Ramzaan
is an annual training period inculcating discipline and declaration of subservience
to the laws of God, enumerated in the holy Quran.
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