Young muslims await the end of fasting at the Mohamad Jaan mosque in Tarmwe township, Yangon. Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

MUSLIMS in Myanmar last week began observing Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which food, drinks and all other kinds of worldly pleasures are prohibited from dawn to dusk.

The month officially started in Myanmar after sunset on September 1 and fasting began at the dawn on September 2.

Groups of Muslims had gathered at mosques throughout the country on the evening of August 31 (29th of Shaaban according to the Arabic lunar calendar) with hopes of catching sight of a crescent moon in the sky, an event that traditionally determines the start of a new month.

However, the moon was not spotted by any Hilal committees (moon sighting committees), prompting the Islamic Scholars Organisation in Yangon to delay the start of the holy month until the following evening.

Muslims around the world practice their religious duties according to the Arabic lunar calendar (similar to the Hebrew calendar), which has 12 months of 29 or 30 days each and a total of 354 or 355 days in a year.

By contrast, the Gregorian solar year comprises 365 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes.

When the 29th day of each month is reached, Hilal committees look to the sky to spot the new crescent moon, which signals the start of the following month.
Because the Arabic lunar calendar is about 10 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan migrates through the seasons and can occur during summer, winter or monsoon in Myanmar in any given year.

Meanwhile, Muslim families start making preparations for Ramadan long before the crescent moon signals the start of the holy month.

Ramadan is characterised by prayer, charity and dawn-to-dusk fasting. During daylight hours eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity are prohibited. Muslims are expected to put more effort into religious observances and to show sympathy for those who are less fortunate throughout the month. Praying five times daily is compulsory.

Muslims who can afford to are also expected to pay zakat – a donation of alms to the poor equal to 1/40th of the family’s annual income – before the end of the holy month.

The typical daily routine during Ramadan begins with the family – everyone from children to the elderly – waking before dawn (around 4am) to wash their bodies with water and then gather to share sehri, the last meal before the start of the daily fast.

The meal is followed by dawn prayers.

Men go to their respective mosques to pray with the congregation, while women and children stay behind and pray individually at home.

After the dawn prayer, with the sun rising in the sky, people begin their daily routines.

Because fasting is more than mere avoidance of food – it is intended to help purify the mind and body to bring a person closer to God – many Muslims reduce the amount of time spent on day-to-day affairs during Ramadan so they can devote more attention to spiritual matters such as praying, reciting the Quran and meditating.

For example, many people shorten their business or work hours, and many shopkeepers close early so they can prepare to be with their families for iftar, the meal that occurs at the end of fasting period after sundown. Like sehri, iftar is a festive and happy occasion shared by Muslim families around the world throughout Ramadan.

Ramadan ends with the start of the lunar month of Shawwal, the first day of which is marked with a celebration called Idd-Al-Fitr (the festival of breaking the fast by giving Fitra for the poor). Food is donated to the poor and communal prayers are held in the morning, followed by feasts and visits to relatives.