Decoration comes from imagination
"Ramadan is an enriching month filled with good deeds practiced by muslims across the world. The UAE’s Ramadan vibe is filled with prayer, Iftars, and charity giving wherever one may be."
"Contributors who participated in #FIND_Ramadan produced lively colorful images with a story revolving around the project’s 2 main focuses- tradition, and islamic practices."
Excitement comes with anticipation.
Center of the world
The prettiest of words.
Where's the moon?
Which one would you pick?
"Mosques, iftar, souks, and a quick video showing the crowds at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and more were included in the contributions #FIND_Ramadan received."
"Mosque Minarets have souls just like trees do."
Memories have an odour as well.
Ramadan Iftar
"The month becomes alive the most during a special congregational prayer men and women perform daily at the mosque titled “Taraweeh”."
"This prayer is sacred to muslims because it only occurs once during the year and that is during Ramadan."
In Ramadan, sins and anxieties fall.
"#FIND_Ramadan included many prayer photos that showed muslims praying during different times of the day, and in different locations.
One photo also included a group of men praying, while another image displayed an overcrowded entrance to a mosque with shoes blocking the door."
How will you spend your night?
Stop and pray
How will you spend your night?
Look for the traces.
"Muslim men specifically gather for each call of prayer unlike any other month because of how essential and holy Ramadan is to them. Mosques are overcrowded at all times, and rows are easily filled, making men rush to prayers earlier than usual."
Ramadan and the stories of my Grandfather Fill waiting times with prayers for forgiveness.
In Ramadan, weekends mean longer hour of prayer and worship.
"Another strong focus of #FIND_Ramadan was traditional and cultural values pertinent to Ramadan in the UAE.
Iconic objects such as Vimto, and arabic sweets are things that are easily found in each household during the blessed month. The value of these items are quite special to people living in the UAE, because of how rarely they’re used up throughout the whole year. Vimto only shows up in supermarkets right before Ramadan, and then reappears again the Ramadan after."
Vimto is synonymous to Ramadan. Vimto was first manufactured in Ceshire, England, in 1908, and became was first associated with the region in 1928, brought by Indian clerks who found employment in the Middle East. Vimto: The sweetness of sharing
“There is no difference between the black, white, the Arab, the non-Arab except by the level of piety.”
"Historical traditions as well such as the Ramadan Drummer who woke up Muslims for suhoor, also holds a meaningful place in the UAE’s past."
Ramadan Drummer
Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is spending.
Give but don't tell.
"The tradition of the lantern as a decoration becoming associated with Ramadan is believed to have originated during the Fatimid Caliphate primarily centered in Egypt, where the Caliph Al-Muizz Lideenillah was greeted by Egyptian people holding lanterns to celebrate his arrival to Cairo during a Ramadan night."
Like an illuminating lantern
Eid Mubarak, the moon has been found, and the holy month of Ramadan has passed by in a blink of an eye!
Text—Alia Youssef