More than one billion Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan, the month in which the Quran was announced, guides people with its teachings throughout this month. Due to the lunar calendar, the month of Ramadan starts 11 days earlier than the previous year. The month of Ramadan involves fasting from sunrise to sunset. Following the month of Ramadan constitutes one of the five obligations in Islam. It aims to teach someone to self-control and at the same time provides an insight into the feelings of the underprivileged.
Dinner in Ramadan times has a special name which is ‘’Iftar’’. After sunset, food is eaten and soft drinks are drunk with it. Special meals are prepared for “Iftar dinner”.
According to Islam, patients and passengers are exempt from fasting. If these situations persist during Ramadan, the Muslim can compensate for this by giving food to a poor person between sunset and sunrise during the month. If the person recovers or his journey ends before the end of Ramadan, fasting days can be followed after the end of Ramadan.
Muslims also have to give “zakat” during the time of Ramadan. The rich are expected to donate a certain amount of money according to their wealth, that is to give “zakat” the funds left after giving person’s basic needs are met. This money is given before the first prayer time (Eid Prayer) on the first day of the three-day Eid al-Fitr, which determines the peak of the fasting month.
The three-day Ramadan Feast is a special time for all Muslims in Turkey. Everyone wears their best and newest clothes they bought, especially for the Ramadan fest. Families go to the mosque, visit relatives and friends, and have a good time with guests. These visits give people who have been unable to get together for a long time and whose hearts are cold, the opportunity to correct this. Eid al-Fitr is the right time to enjoy each other’s friendship and the good fortune God has given us. like all Muslim countries in the world are performed in Ramadan in Turkey with a large communal participation.
