Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. There are several reasons why Ramadan is considered important: The Qur’an was first revealed during this month The actual night that the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (SAW) is called Lailat ul Qadr, and to stand in prayer on this one night is said to be better than a thousand months of worship. Ramadan is often called ‘month of the Qur’an’ because of this, and Muslims attempt to recite as much of the Qur’an as they can during the month. Most mosques will recite one thirtieth of the Qur’an each night during the Taraweeh prayers. No one knows on which particular night the Qur’an was first revealed, but it is said to be one of the last ten nights of Ramadan.

The gates of Heaven are open and the gates of Hell are closed Muslims believe that their good actions bring a greater reward during this month than at any other time of year, because this month has been blessed by Allah. They also believe that it is easier to do good in this month because the devils have been chained in Hell, and so can’t tempt believers. This doesn’t mean that Muslims will not behave badly, but that any evil that they do comes from within themselves, without additional encouragement from the Devil. Almost all Muslims try to give up bad habits during Ramadan, and some will try to become better Muslims by praying more or reading the Qur’an.

IT IS ALSO THE DATE FOR A BUDDIST FESTIVAL

The Chinese “hungry ghost”, is the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. “Hungry ghosts” play a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion. This date refers to the Chinese Ghost Month.