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Fez – In China, the holy month of Ramadan is expected to take place starting on March 11, 2024, promising a time of reflection, contemplation, and celebration for Muslims all over the world.
According to astronomical predictions, Ramadan in China shall last until April 9, 2024, which means that Eid al-Fitr will most likely fall on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The dates for Ramadan change every year depending on the lunar cycles.
Chinese Muslims will join Muslim communities across the globe in celebration of this holiest of months.
Muslim ethnic groups like the Uygur, Hui, Kazak, Ozbek, Tajik, Tatar, Kirgiz, Sala, Dongxiang, and Bonan, all engage in the annual Ramadan festivities that happen all around China.
For Muslims in China, Ramadan holds great significance. Before the month’s start date people tend to arrange their houses and decorate walls with Quranic verses.
Mosques also welcome new rugs and worshipers, as is the case in the rest of the Islamic world. Many iftars – the meals to break-fast – are organized throughout the month of Ramadan with the purpose of strengthening the bonds between Muslim communities within society.
The iftar usually features a variety of foods and special dishes, mainly sweets, to make up for the long fasting hours.
Iftar in China follows some sort of a pattern. It starts with drinking tea and eating watermelon slices, then people go pray; however once they are back from the mosques, they can enjoy the main menu which usually features rice, along with various types of vegetables and meat.
In the street, which gets crowded at iftar time, the most served dishes are While yangrou paomo (soup with bread and lamb) and rou ciamo (Chinese burger). Chinese dumplings and noodles are among the most-consumed foods as well.
The Chinese also give great attention to the suhoor meal (last meal before fasting the next day). It is considered the most important meal of the day during the entire fast-breaking period, since fasting hours in China are relatively longer compared to those recorded in Arab countries.
The Islamic Chinese Association in Beijing determines the beginning of Ramadan according to astronomical calculations rather than by spotting the crescent moon, which is common practice in other Islamic countries. The reason is that the country lacks proper institutions and associations dedicated to such matters.
However, Ramadan is unfortunately not always a time of easy celebration for the Chinese Muslim minority.
Beijing has a history of imposing Ramadan restrictions, with a number of Chinese Muslims being denied the right to fast openly, and in some cases are even barred from entering houses of worship.
“China has exhibited extreme hostility towards the religious beliefs and fine traditions of Uyghurs by further restricting all aspects of Uyghur national and religious holidays,” said the Chairman of the Religious Committee at the World Uyghur Congress, Turghunjan Alawudin.
China has also targeted Muslim communities with its ethnic unity campaign under which officials impose Han Chinese “relatives” on ethnic minority Uyghur families. Alawudin added in an interview with Radio Free Asia that this puts pressure on these communities to observe non-Muslim traditions, including drinking alcohol and eating pork.
