Hajj is required once in a Muslim’s lifetime if one is financially and physically able. The rituals of the Hajj also commemorate the trials of the Prophet Abraham and his family. The Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca, consists of several rituals which symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, such as devotion to God, brotherhood, and unity. This holiday commemorates the completion of Ramadan and lasts for three days during which Muslims celebrate with special prayers, sweets, presents for children and community festivities. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an, were revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.Įid ul-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset as part of an effort towards self-purification and moral excellence. Muslim students may be embarrassed or shy to acknowledge these practices or holy days, which are not yet a part of the dominant American culture. Recognizing these holy days not only brings awareness of the diversity within the student population, but also instills pride in Muslim students who celebrate them. While American Muslims are from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds- including African-American, South Asian, Arab, African, Persian, European, Southeast Asian and Turkish-they may have additional ethnic or national holidays in addition to the religious holidays we describe below.
There are an estimated 3-6 million Muslims in America. Because 12 synodic months are only 12 x 29.53= 354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a solar year, and therefore shifts approximately 11 days every year with respect to the Gregorian calendar. It contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon. The Islamic calendar (known as the Hijri calendar) is a purely lunar calendar.
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