Ramadan
This month of the Islamic calendar is a pillar of Islam in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
What is Ramadan?
This term describes a religious journey to a sacred place, common in many traditions such as Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism.
What is pilgrimage?
This Sanskrit word names the central ritual of Hindu worship that can take place at home or in a temple.
What is puja?
This Arabic term for fasting means “abstinence” from food, drink, and immoral behavior during Ramadan.
This anthropological concept describes the “in-between” stage of a rite of passage often experienced on pilgrimage.
What is liminality (the liminal state)?
This word names the sacred area in a Hindu home, often decorated with images and statues of deities.
What is a Shrine?
These two daily meals, taken before dawn and after sunset, help Muslims hydrate and replenish energy during Ramadan.
What are suhoor and iftar?
This term, used by Victor and Edith Turner, refers to the temporary sense of equality and deep fellowship that can form among pilgrims.
What is communitas?
These five human capacities are all engaged in home puja through images, bells, incense, food, and touch.
What are the five senses?
hese two professional roles are encouraged to work together so that patients with conditions like diabetes can fast safely in Ramadan.
Who are clinicians and religious leaders?
This is one of Islam’s Five Pillars, requiring able Muslims to travel to Mecca at least once, making pilgrimage a religious obligation.
What is the Hajj?
This short sacred syllable, used in Hindu prayers and meditation, is often recited at the home shrine as a symbol of ultimate reality.