Ramadan: A Time for Fasting and Prayer

— -- Long, hard days of fasting and abstinence give way to evenings of prayer, communal dining and, in some regions, all-night TV-watching, as Muslims across the world mark the holy month of Ramadan.

For devout Muslims across national, class and linguistic divides, Ramadan is a time for self-discipline, meditation and spiritual renewal. But like many religious festivals — such as Christmas — there have also been complaints that Ramadan is getting increasingly commercialized.

Here are some basic facts about Ramadan.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from the break of dawn to sunset. It is a 29-day period culminating with the festival, Eid ul-Fitr, or Feast of the Fast-breaking.

When does Ramadan begin and end?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, so the beginning and the end of the period is based on the sightings of the moon. Given the diversity of the Islamic faith, which comprises a number of sects spread around the globe, the sightings have been a cause for much deliberation and some confusion.

Some Muslim communities, especially in Scandinavian countries, where the winter weather can make a sighting difficult, simply follow the dates set by Saudi Arabia or the ones put forth by scholars at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, the Islamic world's oldest and most prestigious university.

But for most Muslims, the sighting of the crescent-shaped new moon in the evening sky marks the start and end of Ramadan.

What is the religious significance of Ramadan?

Muslims believe Ramadan is the month when the prophet Mohammed began to receive the final cycle of the revelation of God's message, which was subsequently collected and preserved as the Koran.

How is Ramadan marked?

Muslims fasting during Ramadan wake up before dawn for the sohour meal before the dawn prayers. After sunrise, they abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex in an act of sacrifice and purification. At sunset, the evening prayers are followed by the special Ramadan prayers, called taraweeh. Then it's time for the iftar , the usually hearty evening meal.

The 27th night of Ramadan is considered one of the most sacred nights in Islam. Called Lailatul-Qadr, or the Night of Destiny, Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to Mohammed on this night. In many parts of the world, street lamps glitter all night to mark what is held to be the most blessed and beautiful of nights.

Has Ramadan changed over the years?

Although the basic practices of Ramadan have not changed since the seventh century, when the religion originated in what is now Saudi Arabia, the changing times have left its mark on Ramadan — a subject of much debate and criticism in some parts of the Islamic world.

In Cairo, Egypt, the cultural capital of the Muslim world, Ramadan evenings are particularly festive, with giant tents serving a rich array of sumptuous foods, cafés offering sheeshyas (water-pipes), tea and a venue to chat late into the night. TV stations broadcast a nocturnal mishmash of special programs, from game shows to melodramatic soaps.

The changes have not come without criticism. A common greeting during the holy month, "Ramadan kareem," — "Ramadan is generous" — is sometimes used as a reprimand against the excesses during the month.

In Saudi Arabia, home to some of Islam's most sacred sites, souks, or open markets, are crowded before the taraweeh prayers as families stock up on food for the evening meal.

Ramadan is a very subdued affair in Saudi Arabia's conservative capital, Riyadh. But in the relatively relaxed port city of Jeddah, women go out in groups or dine in large, unpartitioned family sections with male relatives.

Although schools and offices open late to allow people to sleep in after late nights of celebrating, Saudi authorities regularly issue warnings about the dangers of overeating and sloth.

For members of Saudi Arabia's large non-Muslim foreign community, Ramadan days are particularly trying, as they are not allowed to eat or drink in public.