Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast during the hours of daylight.

During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the time when the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This time begins on the night the first verses were revealed, a night known as Lailut ul-Qadr ('The Night of Power') which falls within the last 10 days of the month.

The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well.

Reading the Qur'an is an important part of Ramadan, and many Muslims will attempt to read the whole of the Qur'an at least once during the Ramadan period. Many will also attend special services in Mosques during which the Qur'an is read.

It is common to have one meal (known as the suhoor), just before sunrise and another (known as the iftar), directly after sunset. This meal will commonly consist of dates, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Because Ramadan is a time to spend with friends and family, the fast will often be broken by different Muslim families coming together to share in an evening meal.

At the end of the month, once fasting has been completed, a big celebration takes place known as 'Eid-ul-Fitr', the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. During this celebration Muslims dress in their finest clothes, give gifts to children and spend time with their friends and family. At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity to be used to help poor people buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.

Do all Muslims have to fast during Ramadan?
Certain people are exempt from taking part in the Ramadan fast. Children, the sick, the elderly, the mentally handicapped, and anyone who would be putting their health at serious risk by fasting are not obliged to do so during Ramadan. There are also certain circumstances where people normally able to fast are unable to, such as when people are on a tiring journey or if a woman is pregnant, and in these instances the person must make up the fast at a later date, or provide meals to the needy in order to make up for breaking the fast.

When can Muslims eat and drink during Ramadan?
Muslims can eat and drink as long as the sun has set. It it sometimes said that the way to tell whether it is dark enough to break the fast is to hold up a white thread with a black thread outdoors and see if you can tell the difference between the two. It’s only OK to eat when you can no longer tell the difference. However, British Muslims all receive a timetable each year which they follow, containing precise calculations for the time of dawn and dusk.

Why do the dates of Ramadan change each year?
The exact dates of Ramadan change every year because Islam uses a lunar calendar, which means that each month begins with the sighting of a new moon. Because lunar months are shorter than the solar months used elsewhere, Islamic holidays begin on different days each year. The start of Ramadan comes around 11 days earlier each year according to the western Gregorian calendar, and consequently is not associated with any particular western month. For Muslims living in Britain, the fast may therefore be comparatively short if Ramadan falls during the winter months, or much longer if it occurs during the summer.

RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 5)
Unit 5B: How do Muslims express their beliefs through practices?
Explain that in Islam fasting is a gift to Allah. Lead a class discussion on the significance of voluntarily going without food. Why do students think people in several religions have times of fasting?

Watch a video or CD-ROM showing a Muslim child explaining the importance of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, or ask a member of the class, if possible, to describe his/her own experiences. Compare the feasting of Eid with the fasting of Ramadan. Students could complete the Ramadan worksheets as part of this activity.

Giving to charity is also an important aspect of Ramadan. Students could organise a collection or charity event as a class.

Geometric patterns are a key feature of Islamic art. Artists seek to represent the essence of objects, rather than recreating them exactly as they appear. Students could make cards for Ramadan or Eid-ul-Fitr featuring geometric patterns, buildings or images of the crescent moon and star. A typical greeting for Eid is 'Eid Mubarak!' - Blessed Eid. Note that Islamic religious art does not include images of people or animals. To most Muslims it is not acceptable to reproduce life-like images of people or animals. It is considered blasphemous to try to copy God's act of creation.

RE at Key Stage 3 (Year 8)
Unit 8C: Beliefs and practice, Section 5: How are beliefs shown in festivals?
Build a calendar of religious dates and investigate the beliefs behind these festivals through creative writing and investigation. Students could write a newspaper report about the festival or a diary entry for a young person undertaking the Ramadan fast for the first time. Medical student Atia Razmi's Ramadan diary may provide ideas and inspiration. The Ramadan newspaper writing frame supports this activity.

Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/
Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

BBC Religion and Ethics - Islam
This outlines the different practices adhered to by Muslims during Ramadan.

CBBC Newsround: Ramadan
A lesson plan for citizenship teaching, this looks at Ramadan from the point of view of 'Living in a Diverse World'.

BBC Tees Faith
Zohra Hussain, a mother of seven tells us how she observes Ramadan.

Take the Islam Quiz
How much do you know about Islam? Test your knowledge with the Islam Quiz.

Parenting - Multi Faith Celebrations
This handy guide gives tips on preparing yourself for children's curiosity about religions.

Radio 1's One Life Guide to Islam
A brief guide to the world's second most popular faith.

the RE site
A comprehensive collection of RE news, links and resources for students of all ages. Includes an interactive festivals calendar, links to virtual tours of places of worship and AV/IT resources catalogue.

The Culham Institute
RE curriculum and training resources with a strong emphasis on the use of multimedia and ICT. The site contains a wide range of assemblies for primary and secondary groups focusing on people, festivals and other important themes and days.

the RE directory
A directory of RE contacts, including LEAs, faith communities and suppliers of resources.

SPCK - The Assemblies Website
Constantly updated, this site provides instant-access assemblies for primary and secondary schools on a wide range of secular and religious topics, including festivals of world religions.

The Parrotfish Company
A catalogue of multicultural educational resources and religious artefacts from around the world.

Turning the Pages
The British Library's award-winning online collection of ancient texts. Students can 'turn the pages' of a range of texts from different cultures, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra, Sultan Baybars' Qur'an and the Hebrew Golden Haggadah.

Words Alive! - Special Books
An interactive guide to the six world religions from the British Library with video, images and information. Explore each 'display case' to discover more about each religion.

Britkid
A site about race, racism and life - as seen through the eyes of the Britkids. You can hang out with a Britkid or go into town to learn about religion, food, culture and the triumphs, trials and tribulations of life as a teenager in multicultural Britain.

Portsmouth EMAS
The Portsmouth Ethnic Minority Achievement Service offer a range of excellent multicultural online resources, including religious festival activities, literacy resources and interactive number lines in a wide range of languages.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.