India comes alive with lights, sound and colour as the country readies itself for the festive season.

RAMADAN:
The name 'Ramzan' or 'Ramadan' comes from the name of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. This month is the most holy and revered time of the year for followers of Islam. It is a period of prayer, fasting, introspection and austerity. One spurns the usual comforts and luxuries during this time and spends time immersed in worship and introspection. For a month all Muslims-barring children below the age of 12, pregnant women, the elderly and the ill-must not consume anything (not even a drop of water) during the day.

They must get up before dawn and eat their pre-dawn meals and can break their fast post sunset, after the fourth prayer of the day (there are five daily prayers). Why the fast?
It is believed that fasting will keep the heart away from worldly desires and will maintain a sense of peace and calm in the body and mind. It is an act of personal worship, as Muslims try to connect with God in their purest form. Ramadan in India is as much a time for feasting as it is for fasting.

After sundown, the streets come alive with lights and food, and vendors compete for customers with the best fare they have to offer. An important part of Ramadan is introspection and self-reformation. It is a period of giving and sharing and so Muslim families generously do charity work, feed guests and exchange gifts, invite people to their homes for their iftar (fast-breaking) meals.

Ramadan ends on Eid ul-Fitr, the day the new month begins. This is observed as a holiday, a festival that breaks the Ramadan fast and includes much celebration. Families donate food to the poor, wear their traditional best and exchange good wishes and presents.