The Muslim "lunar" calendar includes 12 months each consisting of 29 or 30 days, according to the movement of the moon. Therefore, the month of Ramadan keeps moving at a regular pace between the months of the "solar" calendar that the world follows in general. This year, Ramadan coincides with the Christmas season, and the feast following Ramadan will be on the same day as the Eastern Christmas day, the 7 of January 2000. For a close-knit community like the Palestinian one, this coincidence provides ample opportunity to assert the close connection between Muslims and Christians in this Holy Land where both have lived as one community for hundreds of years.

Ramadan is a month full of rituals, and, theoretically at least, it is a month of discipline. Muslims learn in this month how to discipline themselves through refraining from eating or drinking from dawn to sunset for the whole month. This year, the "Imsak" or the beginning of the fast starts at the morning call for prayers (around 4:00 am) and the "Iftar" or the breaking of the fast meal is following the late afternoon call for prayers (around 17:00). The fast should be broken with a small meal followed by prayers. The evening prayer (the last of the five prayer times during the day) lasts more than one hour during Ramadan. The reason is that this time is used to recite the Qur'an, an opportunity for the devout to devote more time to prayers. Each night, one whole section is read out loud by the "Imam" and the Muslims praying in the mosque, and you can hear the reading from every mosque. By the end of the month, the Qur'an will have been completely recited at least once.

The month of Ramadan is considered an occasion for families to come closer together, sharing the evening meal, visiting each other after sundown, giving alms to the poor, and remembering the beloved ones who have died. The "Iftar" meal, or breaking the fast, is an occasion for invitations by family and friends. Unlike other invitations during the year, you cannot be late for this one. Once the Ramadan Canon and the call for prayers are heard announcing the end of the fast, everyone takes to the table and starts eating: it is impolite to wait as it is impolite to arrive late. The sumptuous meal is usually followed by the Ramadan sweet, Qatayef, a delicacy which can only be found during the month of Ramadan. Restaurants are closed during the day, and eating is prohibited in the streets or in public institutions.

Most institutions cut down on their working hours by at least one hour since productivity decreases with the fasting, and people need to go home early to prepare for the "Iftar" meal and take their essential afternoon nap. After the "Iftar" meal, people take to the streets and shops remain open till late at night. The mood in the streets is festive, and people enjoy their ability at night to eat and drink out after a long day of fasting. Sometimes, people stay up all night until the "Suhour" meal immediately before the fast is due to begin, early in the morning hours.