The Ramadan Calendar

A Ramadan Calendar is a calendar used during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It has a small flap for each day of the month, similar to an Advent calendar. One flap is opened each day, and there may be a small piece of chocolate, a sweet or a toy behind each flap.


Origins of Ramadan Calendar

It is believed to developed from the advent calendar which is popular during Christmas time all over Europe. Advent Calendar is used to count the Advent days starting from December 1 and ending on December 24 - Christmas Eve, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In similar to that, the Ramadan Calendar is used to count the Ramadan days in the Islamic calendar from 1st Ramadan to 29th or to the 30th of Ramadan - the Islamic calendar is lunar-based and therefore the length of the Ramadan month depends on changes of the moon during the specific year. The current Ramadan calendars are paper-based calendars which represents only one month, the Ramadan month. The Ramadan calendars are used by Muslims around the world to count the days of the holy Ramadan month in the Islamic calendar.



Ramadan Calendar in social integration

The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. The Ramadan Calendar developed in order to reach a better integration between Muslims and Christians living in Europe. In Germany it is mainly used by the Turkish population, while in France it used mainly by the Tunisian and Moroccans. Initially thought to be a Ramadan calendar to be bought by Muslims, it becomes a symbol of tolerance and is used for gifting between colleagues on the work place and neighbors.



Children during the Ramadan

During the Ramadan month, children walk from door to door, sing traditional songs and are welcomed with sweets and presents. The 30 flaps on the Ramadan Calendar will lead eventually to the The first day of the next month which is the ‘Festival of Breaking Fast’ or `Eid ul-Fitr and is usually spent in celebrations.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan_calendar


See also: Sending Flowers, Online Florist, Florist