Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr
Ramadan is the Arabic name for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar.
It is considered one of the holiest months for Muslims and is marked by a period of fasting, considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
These are five principles which Muslims believe are compulsory acts ordered by God: the other pillars are faith, prayer, charity and making the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
Muslims believe that some of the first verses of the Islamic holy book, the Qu'ran, were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the month of Ramadan.
Extra emphasis is therefore placed on reciting the Qu'ran at this time.
Muslims are also encouraged to give to charity, strengthen their relationship with God, and show kindness and patience.
Some believers also perform an additional night prayer, called Taraweeh, which only takes place during Ramadan.
Ramadan falls on a different date every year, due to the cycles of the moon.
In 2023, Ramadan will start on the evening of Wednesday 22 March, and will finish on the evening of Friday 21 April.
If you want to wish someone well, you can say "Ramadan Mubarak", which means "Blessed Ramadan", or "Ramadan Kareem", which translates as "Generous Ramadan".
Muslims have an early morning meal before dawn, known as suhoor or sehri.
They do not eat or drink anything - including water - until they break their fast after sunset for the evening meal, called iftar or fitoor.
Fasting should only be done by people who are in good health.
Some Muslims are exempt:
Those who are sick or ill and whose health will be affected by fasting
Children who have not reached puberty - although some begin to practise fasting before then
Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Menstruating women
Travellers
Eid takes place at the end of Ramadan.
The name "Eid al-Fitr" translates as "the festival of the breaking of the fast".
Like the beginning of Ramadan, Eid begins with the first sighting of the new moon.
Many Muslims will attend Eid prayers at their mosque early in the morning.
In the Middle East, these are held straight after the Fajr morning prayer. In the UK, it takes place any time from 07:00 onwards.
It's traditional to wear new clothes and, on the way to the mosque, to eat something sweet, such as a date, and recite a short prayer, called a takbeer.
Before Eid prayers, every Muslim is obliged to make a donation to charity, called Zakat al-Fitr, to help feed the poor.
In many countries, Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday - many people enjoy large meals with friends and family.
It's also common for elder believers to give money to children and younger members of the family.
To wish someone well at Eid, you can say "Eid Mubarak".
The Islamic calendar follows the 12-month lunar calendar. The month of Ramadan is the ninth of the year, and Eid is celebrated at the beginning of the 10th month, Shawwal.
Each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts either 29 or 30 days. In the past, this was done by the naked eye, but in recent years, telescopes and technology have been used.
Muslim countries are spread across a large geographical area, from Indonesia to Morocco, meaning that some Muslims may see the new moon earlier than others.
"Traditionally, Makkah [Mecca in Saudi Arabia] was the centre of sighting the moon," says Prof Muhammad Abdel Haleem, from the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies).
"Sometimes even in the Middle East, neighbouring countries will say they've seen the moon on different days," he says.
The lunar calendar is about 10 days shorter than the Western calendar, which is based on the cycle of the sun. This means that each year Ramadan starts about 10 days earlier than the previous year, and over time gets earlier and earlier in the year.
Although Eid al-Fitr has become a well-known event in the UK, this is not the only Eid celebration in the Islamic calendar.
Eid al-Adha is celebrated during the month of Dhul-Hijjah. This is the month where Muslims from across the world make the pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj.
Some ideas below, use your own professional judgement as some resources on the web can be religion-centric as in teaching from the idea that their religion is the truth. We also have moved away from celebrating a religious festival. We are marking the festival and learning about and from it.
Google Drive-Resources for Ramadan
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13nTb8POTEKB8qDencklB4hZeTcGnstbj?usp=sharing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23286976
A very british ramadan https://youtu.be/CsrWFfgZvj8
Ramdan in Dublin 1998 https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/0709/461377-30-days-of-ramadan-starts-tomorrow-in-ireland/
Ramadan Diaries=Ireland-RTE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK68-6Kbfk4
The Mosque-Truetube video https://www.truetube.co.uk/resource/holy-cribs-the-mosque/
How Islam began https://www.truetube.co.uk/resource/how-islam-began-in-ten-minutes/
Infants-Video on Islam and creation story https://www.truetube.co.uk/resource/charlie-and-blue-ask-about-allah-and-creation/?tab=film
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/eid-ul-fitr-teaching-resources/zr86xbk
https://www.weteachnyc.org/resources/resource/learning-about-eid-al-fitr-eid-al-adha/
https://youtu.be/rjZ_EpecEKk Lailah's lunchbox readaloud
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/teaching-about-ramadan-and-eid