Ramadan

Ramadan is a special time of year in the religion of Islam. People who practice Islam are called Muslims.

Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The whole month is a sacred time for Muslims. "Sacred" is another way to say "holy."

Muslims believe that Muhammad received God's teachings for the first time during Ramadan.

Islamic tradition says that Muhammad received God's teachings from an angel. Those teachings are written in the Quran (kor-AN), Islam's holy book. Muhammad received God's teachings over many years, but he received the first ones during the month of Ramadan. Muslims remember this story by making Ramadan a sacred time.

Why do the dates change every year?

Ramadan is a month in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar is based on the movement of the moon. Each year is about 354 days long. Most people around the world use the calendar that is 365 days long. It is based on the movement of the earth around the sun.

These calendars do not match up. The Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter, so it starts over sooner. The beginning of the year moves up by 10–12 days each year. The beginning of Ramadan also moves up by 10–12 days each year.

How can it be 2020 and 1441 at the same time?

Another name for the Islamic calendar is the Hijri calendar. Hijri comes from the Arabic word for "emigration." The Hijri calendar begins counting from the year that Muhammad emigrated, or moved from, his home city of Mecca. On the Hijri calendar, the current year is 1441.

Each year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier than it did the year before.