This year, Muslims all over the world are celebrating Ramadan like they’ve never experienced before. The holy month, which began the evening of April 23, is observed by fasting from dawn to dusk; increased prayer at the mosque; charity; and time spent with family, friends, and community for iftar (breaking of the fast) and suhoor (predawn meal). In majority-Muslim countries, businesses and restaurants are open later, and cities come to life at night to cater to the change in people’s routines. With the coronavirus pandemic currently keeping everyone at home, this Ramadan is a much quieter, more isolated spiritual experience. Collected below are historical photos of how Ramadan has been celebrated in different countries over the years, capturing the lively gatherings in homes, markets, and mosques that Muslims will not be able to experience under lockdown this year.
Celebrating Ramadan Before the Pandemic
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A little girl takes pictures of two West African girls, who are at Woking Mosque, England, for the Muslim festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr (the "Festival of Breaking the Fast") on June 14, 1953. #
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The Rakie family gathers for the holiest month of the Muslim calendar in 1988 in Canada. From left: Ayisha, 16 months; Ali, 35; Nabeeleh, 7; Naimeh, 31; Fatimah, 3; Zubaideh, 8; and Ahmad, 5. Ali Rakie, who will fast from dawn until dusk each day, says that by not eating he is reminded of the sufferings of the poor. #
Ken Faught / Toronto Star via Getty -
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Moroccan national welfare volunteers prepare free Ramadan meals for the poor in Sale district near Rabat in 1988. Volunteers distributed some 35,000 free meals per day to poor families across the country from the beginning of the Ramadan month. #
Abdelhak Senna / AFP / Getty -
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Women from the Hui Muslim community pray over food before breaking their fast during the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Nanxiapo Mosque on June 8, 2018 in Beijing, China. Islam in China dates back to the 10th century as the legacy of Arab traders who ventured from the Middle East along the ancient Silk Road. Of an estimated 23 million Muslims in China, roughly half are Hui, who are ethnically Chinese and speak Mandarin. China's constitution provides for Islam as one of five "approved" religions in the officially atheist country, though the government enforces severe limits. Worship is permitted only at state-sanctioned mosques and proselytizing in public is illegal. The Hui, one of 55 ethnic minorities in China (along with the Han majority), have long nurtured a coexistence with the Communist Party and is among the minority groups with political representation at various levels of government. The Hui Muslim population fast from dawn until dusk during Ramadan, and it is believed there are more than 20 million members of the community in the country. #
Kevin Frayer / Getty -
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A member of the El Degma family, who lived in the town of Abasan el-Cedide, video calls relatives before they have iftar as a precaution against the coronavirus in Khan Yunis, Gaza on April 24, 2020. #
Ali Jadallah / Anadolu via Getty
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