Today marks the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calandar, Muslims observe a period of fasting, during which they cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.
Muslims wake up before sunrise so that they can pray, eat and drink to fuel their bodies ahead of the day. The annual event is meant to help those observing it focus on prayer, purification and charitable acts.
Muslims believe that the physical ritual allows them to understand the suffering of others as well as increasing their closeness to God.
Ramadan usually lasts 29 or 30 days, depending on the lunar calendar, but the dates change each year. This year, Ramadan started on the evening of April 23, and will end on the evening of
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