Eid ul-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, were revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic year during which Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset as part of an effort towards self-purification and moral excellence. The estimated 3 to 6 million Muslim Americans may observe additional religious and ethnic holidays in addition to those described below. The Islamic calendar shifts by approximately 11 days every year with respect to the Gregorian calendar because 12 lunar months are only 354.36 days (12 x 29.53). It contains 12 months that are based on the cycles of the moon. The Islamic calendar (known as the Hijri calendar) is a lunar calendar. For more information, please contact ING at 40. Please Note: In some communities and based on differences in scholarly opinion, actual dates are subject to local sightings of the new moon. This refers to the migration that the Prophet Muhammad made from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 C.E., which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.) *After Hijra (Hijra means “migration” in Arabic. Additionally, since Muslims use a lunar calendar, the dates move 10-11 days earlier each year on the solar calendar, which makes it a little challenging for people to keep track of them from year to year. In the case of Muslim holidays or important dates, Muslim Americans, young and old, may be reticent to acknowledge them, since they are not yet a part of mainstream American culture. Download a printable copy of this handout belowĪs the United States grows increasingly diverse, recognizing important holidays of different traditions not only brings awareness of the diversity within the student population and workforce, but also instills pride in the people who celebrate them.
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