One of my favorite Ramadan memories as a child was my dad telling me about a drummer who walks through the streets every Ramadan morning to wake people up to eat before sunrise. The drummer, known as Mesaharaty, walks through the streets drumming away and singing traditional songs. Obviously in New York City, we don’t have a drummer walking the streets every morning of Ramadan, but my family was lucky enough to have me drumming through the house every Ramadan morning when I was 6 years old. I would grab a pot and wooden spoon and wake up my parents every morning at dawn. As you can imagine it wasn’t their favorite way to wake up and I am sure they didn’t think I’d do it all 30 days of Ramadan!
The month of Ramadan (which began the evening of 3/10 and ended yesterday) is a time for spirituality, community care, charity, and celebrations.
A quick list of fun facts:
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic Calendar where some Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
Children don’t usually fast but they sometimes join in to practice or celebrate.
We start the day eating a meal called Suhoor before sunrise to get ready for the day and break our fast at sunset with Iftar.
During Ramadan you can greet someone by saying Ramadan Mubarak but there are variations to the greetings.
I typically decorate for the month with lanterns, lights and some traditional fabrics but these traditions can vary from culture to culture!
If you want to highlight Ramadan at story-time with the young children in your classroom or life, here are some stellar book recommendations:
Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Zahra’s Blessing: A Ramadan Story by Shirin Shamsi
Looking for the Eid Moon by Sahtinay Abaza
Ramadan by Hannah Eliot
Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Razi
A Ramadan to Remember by Marzieh A Ali
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr by Sara Khan
Aliya’s Secret: A Story of Ramadan by Farida Zaman
Dear Muslim Child by Rahma Rodaah
Eid Breakfast at Abuela's by Mariam Saad
Ramadan Mubarak!
Leila Eldomyati is a ParentCorps Educator.