Ramadan is a month of spiritual growth and fasting, and the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. This is a month dedicated for close attention to the spiritual side of life and it has its own religious and customary rituals. The most important ritual of Ramadan -or Ramezan as it is pronounced in Persian- is fasting. During Ramadan the practicing Muslims fast, they do not eat or drink and also do not smoke tobacco or have sex from sunrise to sundown. These restrictions are followed with more internal rules and orders like not lying strictly, or spending more time for prayer, reading the Holy Quran and trying to help others as much as you can. The fasting ritual of Ramadan alters people’s mealtimes and brings with it a whole customs and traditions specific to Ramadan. People fast during the day and have a meal at sunset called Eftar or Iftar and usually, they have family gatherings or parties and spend time socializing until late at night or even until just before sunrise when they have their next meal named Sahari. What does this have to do with you as a tourist? First of all, Ramadan is a month in the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar calendar, so its dates are not fixed in the more common solar calendar. The next thing you should be aware of is that during this month, eating and drinking and smoking in public is prohibited in Iran. Of course, you are a tourist and if you have something to eat in a public place there might be just a notice for you, or police might ask you to finish your meal somewhere private, but you should be aware of these prohibitions. So, it is much better to find a not so crowded place to
Ramadan is a month of spiritual growth and fasting, and the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. This is a month dedicated for close attention to the spiritual side of life and it has its own religious and customary rituals. The most important ritual of Ramadan -or Ramezan as it is pronounced in Persian- is
