Honour the Islamic holy month with these festive, but easy ways to celebrate Ramazan…
ramazan
Ramazan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. Ramazan began around March 22, 2023 and will end around April 21, 2023 with Eid-ul-Fitr, or the Festival of Breaking Fast. Religious observers honour the month by fasting during daylight hours and devoting themselves to spiritual rejuvenation through reading the Qur’an and prayer. While those are traditional activities to commemorate Ramazan, there are more ways to celebrate too.
Dates are the number-one staple of Ramazan, across all Muslim cultures. They are what we eat for energy at dawn before a long day of fasting, as well as what we eat to break our fast at sunset.
Consider having dates front and centre during Ramazan by shifting dates out of the cardboard box they came in and into golden or silver decorative bowls for the season. Bowls with glass lids or a cloche dome are best to help keep the dates fresh.
Display the festive bowls in your kitchen or on a sideboard. Take it a step further and create a Ramazan vignette by filling bowls of varying heights with nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, and displaying them as a grouping. (At the end of Ramazan, use the dates and nuts in your Eid cooking - you can have your display and eat it, too!)
Ramazan’s core traditions take place at night-time. Once upon a time, before electricity, people used oil lanterns as their source of light to help them carry out Ramazan’s night-time traditions. Today, you can use battery operated decorative lanterns inside your home - and on your porch - to help give your home a festive Ramazan glow.
A good scented candle makes a home holiday-ready in minutes. Choose a scent that speaks to you and light your candles during the night in Ramazan, particularly during the last 10 nights of Ramazan. If incense is more your thing, you can find plenty of non-headache inducing options for that, too, nowadays - with well-designed incense holders, too.
Food is a wonderful way to bring people together - and one of the key ways to celebrate Ramazan is through the Iftar (the sunset meal that breaks the fast). When preparing iftar, make a little extra and share a plate with your neighbour. If you’re not much of a fan of cooking, you can also consider preparing a bakery box or a food hamper with ready-made finds that speak of Ramazan to you. A little accompanying note explaining what Ramazan is or about the food you’re sharing can be a much-appreciated gesture, too.
While adults are fasting, kids can sometimes feel bored or left out during Ramazan. Keep kids engaged throughout the month with fun, holiday-themed crafts. Toddlers and elementary-aged kids will love my moon sighting binoculars craft. Make them a day or two before Ramazan is expected to start and see if you can spot the crescent moon that signals the start of the month. Keep your binoculars safe - you’ll need them to find the moon for Eid-ul-Fitr at the end of Ramazan, as well (or for other celestial viewing).
Charity and giving are important aspects of Ramazan - and they can be something that your family does together. Your family can choose charities or activities where you can donate your money or your time. Whether you give money to a worthy cause that’s dear to your hearts, conduct a food drive, or volunteer with a local organisation, it’s a great way to give more generously during the season.
Use fill-your-own calendars (or make your own with cute cotton bags or paper boxes) to stash a tiny gift for each day of Ramazan. This will give kids something special to anticipate for each day. (Grownups may appreciate this too!)
It used to be that handing over cash (Eidi) counted as a sufficient Eid gift. But nowadays, people opt for a bit more personalisation when it comes to Eid gifting. Thoughtfully curating gifts for our near and dear can be stressful at times but it also has the potential to produce the biggest smiles, especially for kids.
Consider wrapping your Eid gift this year (complete with a bow!) or plopping it into an Eid gift bag if you’re short on time, and spend a few extra seconds on artfully arranging the tissue paper. You might choose motifs associated with the season, like moons and stars, as part of your Eid gift wrap.
For open-house Eid parties, I like to create a ‘build-your-Eid-gift’ station for kids. I lay out gift bags, tissue paper, ribbon, and a bunch of inexpensive finds that include books, treats, and toys. Kids pick one item from each category and place it in their gift bag. This way, every kid goes home with a gift without me having to worry about collecting RSVPs and confirming a guest list in advance.
Eid cards are a great way to celebrate the holiday with family and friends near and far - and they’re also a simple way to include Eid in the workplace when gifted amongst co-workers. You can also use Eid cards to express gratitude to community members at your local mosque, such as your imam or child’s weekend-school teacher.
If you have elder relatives, I especially suggest writing them an Eid card (in addition to your annual phone or video call on Eid day). It will take them right back to when letter mail was the norm and help you build meaningful connections across generations, especially if your kids are helping you with the card writing.
Source: Real Simple
