Extreme randomosity

[briasoleil]

I'm trying to figure out when the Ramadan starts. I looked online and one site indicates that it's October 5th. The other night, spike told me that it starts October 4th. Last night, the child said that she asked her dad's friend and he said October 6th. Doing a more extensive search online has not brought any kind of consensus either

Comments

[raithen]

ok, so my brief search concurs that Ramadan starts sometime between Oct 4 and 6, 2005 :D.

The MOST common date seems to be the 5th. But it seems that really, astronomical calculations just give a rough idea of when it starts. in fact, ramadan is supposed to start when the crescent moon is SIGHTED in an area. (what you do if it's cloudy, I'm not sure).

anyway, some useful info here: http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/a/moonsighting.htm

[briasoleil]

I saw that information on the moon sighting during my search. I only skimmed it though, so it was good to go back and reread it.

I guess I'll wait until someone with decidedly more authority than myself on this subject says something. Or, I'll just forget and will go through this whole big "when the heck is the Ramadan?" query again next year. And all subsequent years.

I don't know what people do when it's cloudy. The rules are very unclear to me. Except that women don't fast during their periods. I wonder if that's still true. I object to the principle that allows for this. Is that enough to bypass it?

[raithen]

actually, women not fasting during their menstrual cycle makes sense from pure health reasons to me. But then, I'm a practicing Catholic and I don't fast during lent. Avoid red meats, yes, fast, no, because the principle doesn't work for my faith - I can't see how my being bitchy, cranky and very likely sick is going to improve my focus on God. So I may not be the best person to talk to ;).

and perhaps a call to a local mosque would answer your question?

[briasoleil]

Calling a mosque would be a good idea.

My issues with women not fasting during menstruation have to do with how it was explained to me. That menstruating women aren't clean. However, from a health point of view, I agree with you. And hadn't thought of it that way.

[electricland]

My Filofax says the 4th. But I concur with what raithen says about the moon.

FWIW, soldiers on campaign, travellers, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with diabetes or other illnesses aren't expected to fast either. Very practical religion, Islam.

[briasoleil]

I knew that others, depending on circumstances, weren't supposed to fast. However, the explanation I was given for menstruating women was that they were unclean. Which riled. Now, that could just have been one interpretation and not necesarily the correct one. As I told raithen, from the point of view of a woman's health, not fasting does make sense.

[briasoleil]

I'm not sure if it's an interesting post. But it's what's going through my mind today.

I know nothing about Lent, except that I believe it's a primarily Catholic practice. Except in the US, many protestants seem to participate in Lent. My mom is Lutheran and Lent was never something she did, so I'm not sure how American Lutherans got the idea to include this practice in their faith. Not that it's bad. Just not what I was used to.

I wonder what I'd have to sacrifice. Since I already don't eat red meat. *g*