Ramadan in Malaysia

By Child 1

Ramadan is the holy month in which all Muslims (except the sick, young, old, pregnant, etc.) fast during daylight hours. It commemorates Muhammad's first revelation, which was when the Islamic prophet Muhammad was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who revealed the beginning of the Quran (the religious text of Islam) to him. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is considered one of the five pillars of Islam, which are the basic foundations of Muslim life.



During Ramadan, Muslims start each day before dawn with a special meal called Suhoor, and eat a special meal called Iftar after sunset. The first food eaten during Iftar is traditionally dates, because Muhammed broke his fast with three dates. It is often eaten with friends and family, and sometimes there are large banquets consisting of 100 or more people. Muslims are encouraged to read the Quran, and they do extra prayers and give extra to charity. A Muslim man in Malaysia can be arrested for eating in public during Ramadan.

Since Malaysia is around 61% Muslim, there are many deals and special offers on food and other products during Ramadan. Special Ramadan packets with traditional Ramadan foods and deserts are sold. Bazars and Markets sell delicious foods to eat after sunset. Restaurants are mostly empty during the day, and get extremely crowded after sunset. At a nearby Middle Eastern restaurant, there are mountains of food at a buffet at 7:15, and it's all gone by 7:45!

Ramadan promotions in the Village Grocer

At the end of Ramadan in Malaysia, there is a special holiday called Hari Raya, or just Raya for short. This celebrates the end of Ramadan fasting. It is celebrated with family, school is let out, and many people Balik Kampung, or return to their hometowns. Sometimes people invite their friends to "open houses", where they open up their houses and everyone can come and have food. There are also state-orginized open houses, held on public parks or land, or in state-owned buildings. We recently saw fireworks outside, presumably since Raya is coming up.

Putra Mosque, Putrajaya

Inside the Putra Mosque

A calligraphy copy of Al-Qur'an (the Quran) made in Iran around 1700 AD, in the Islamic Arts Museum.