March 20 kicked off the start of the religious celebration of Ramadan, and it will last until the evening of April 20.

Junior Manal “Verne” Khan explained the roots of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is the time of the year in which Muslims believe God has locked away all the devils for the month, as per their prophets,” Khan said. “They use this month in order to get closer to God as actions in this month are worth ten times the reward.”

Senior Jena Harati said that another reason this month is significant to Muslims is because the Quran, the Islamic holy text, was revealed to them in that month.

“This month is very special for Muslims because our holy book was revealed to us and a lot of things happened during this month,” Harati said. “This is a month where we connect to God.”

Senior Anna Khatun said that overall, this month is about reflection.

“Ramadan is about humanity, becoming a better person, and thinking about others – not just yourself,” Khatun said. “During this time, we often reflect on our bad deeds and how we can change to become a better person from Ramadan to the future.”

There are many ways Muslims celebrate Ramadan; traditionally, Muslims celebrate by fasting and praying.

“Ramadan is celebrated in many ways but the most common way is fasting and attending Taraweeh,” Khan said. “Taraweeh is when Muslims come together at a masjid after isha and do things like pray and read the Quran.”

Because of fasting, people tend to offer Muslims food during Ramadan. Khatun says it’s best not to do this.

“Don’t offer food to us,” Khatun said. “I’ve seen people offer food when it’s Ramadan and I feel like it’s best to not offer food during this time.”

Muslims participate in charity work to celebrate Ramadan as well.

“We also do charity work during this time and we give tons of money to people who need it,” Khatun said. “However much property we have, we give a portion of it to others. For example, we see the worth of all the jewelry we have and then give a part of that worth to charity.”

After Ramadan ends and the month of fasting is over, Muslims celebrate the holiday of Eid.

“After thirty days of fasting, we celebrate Eid,” Harati said. “Eid is where we get up early in the morning and go to the mosque where we pray the Eid prayers. After that we meet with family, exchange gifts, eat, and celebrate.”

Khan said that recognizing Ramadan outside of Islamic culture is essential because it allows Muslims to be able to celebrate this special time of the year in a safe environment. It also allows them to celebrate without having to worry about losing their jobs.

“The recognition of Ramadan in the Western world is important in order to ease the burden on Muslim Americans who feel they have to sacrifice their religion in order to meet the standards,” Khan said. “By recognizing Ramadan, people are able to fast and pray in a safe environment without sacrificing their job.”