A woman directs her sons' attention to the crescent moon during sunset in Amman, Jordan. (Photo: Mohommad Hannon/AP). To see more images of Ramadan around the world, click on the photo.This week marks the end of Ramadan for most predominantly Muslim countries. If your sponsored child has a Muslim background or lives in a country with a strong Muslim presence (Jordan, Lebanon, India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia) their daily life changes dramatically during this time.

Most schools take a holiday during Ramadan, because families practice the fast together. Many businesses close, as well, as abstaining from food and drink makes it difficult to concentrate on daily tasks. And that is part of the point of the extended fast.

Ramadan is the ninth of the twelve months in the Islamic calendar (marked by a lunar calendar, determined by the appearance of a new crescent moon) and considered the holiest of the four holy months. Muslims are commanded to fast from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan.

Interesting fact: because the lunar months are shorter than the Gregorian months we observe, the dates of events move forward by roughly 11 days every year. Because fasting during the daylight hours during the month of Ramadan is an important duty in Islam, a Muslim believer will have fasted every day of the year in 33 years!

If they are physically healthy, Muslims abstain from all food and drink as well as other physical activities. There is a spiritual component of the fast as well – Muslims are to refrain from gossiping, lying, and other bad habits. The goal is to redirect the heart from worldly activities.

Fasting during Ramadan also has an outward focus; abstaining from food and drink remind Muslims of those less fortunate who often do not have enough to eat. Thus Ramadan is a time for doing good deeds. Many mosques prepare special meals to break the daily fast to help the poor observe the time as well. (To see photos of how Muslims around the world observe Ramadan, click here.)
 
As Ramadan comes to a close this week, Muslims will prepare for a three-day celebration known as Eid ul-Fitr. It is a festival of fast-breaking, marked by special meals, fervent prayers, and socializing. If families are able, children also receive small gifts.

One interesting element of Ramadan is that many Muslims commemorate the end of the fast by giving a prescribed amount to charity, often calculated to feed one poor person in the region for one day. This annual giving is, like fasting, considered one of the pillars of Islam.

If your sponsored child has a Muslim background, she has most likely spent much time with her family and friends, learning the traditions surrounding this practice. When they are old enough to understand the importance of the Ramadan fast, they are invited to participate.

We share this to give you a glimpse of the culture your sponsored child might so richly experience. It is unlikely that your sponsored child will write to you about Ramadan, so we share this in hopes that you might pray for your sponsored child's heart as they observe the practices and traditions their families hold dear.

It is likely that their prayers during Ramadan center on peace and prosperity. Please join us in praying for God's provision for your sponsored child (whatever the region) and that the Lord continues to move in their hearts and minds.
 
This week we will focus more on our work in the Middle East, a delicate and important ministry. If you sponsor a child in this region or are curious to know more, please come back to learn more about your sponsored child’s life!