Celebrated on the first day of Shawwal which is the Islamic calendar’s tenth month, this is one of three major Islamic festivals. It is marked by several ethnic groups, including Ozbek, Tartar, Dongxiang, Salar, Tajik, Hui, Uyghur, Bonan, Kirgiz and Kazak people. During Ramadan, which lasts 29 or 30 days during September, Muslim people must finish eating the meal which will be their last until the day ends and the sun sets. All personal desires are to be suppressed, including sex, and they must also not drink alcohol. This shows their dedication to Allah. (Those who are exempt from fasting – women who are menstruating, elderly people, sick people and children – must at least not drink or eat in public.) At the end of Ramadan, the Fast-Breaking Festival is celebrated.
In an echo of the story of Muhammad in the Koran, adults take baths in the morning before going to the mosque (sometimes also whitewashing their houses and cutting their hair), then visit friends and relatives and exchange traditional festival snacks such as fruit, tea, deep-fried dough twists, almonds and fried doughnuts.
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