Fast friends: Thoughts on faith, community, and Islam during Ramadan in Vermont

By Kathryn Casa | Vermont Guardian

posted October 21, 2005

COLCHESTER — Ramadan is a time of fasting and communion, when Muslims strengthen family and community ties, focus on their faith, and spend less time concerned with the banalities of everyday life. But finding fellowship can be difficult for some 1,000 Muslims in Vermont, who are spread far and wide across the state.

The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramadan falls at a different time each year. This year it began in early October and will end the first week in November; the exact date to be determined by the sighting of the new moon. A time of worship and contemplation, Muslims are asked to fast for the entire 28 to 30 days, and abstain from food, drink, and indulgences like smoking and sex, from sunrise to sunset.

In traditional Islamic societies, Muslims break their fasts in the evening with friends and family, sharing a simple meal called the iftar, often at a place of worship, and then going out for visits.

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