RAMADAN

Ramadan, or Ramzam, occurs in the ^9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims pray and fast all day for one month. Charity is de rigueur towards the needy during this holy month. At nightfall, the mobile kitchens are set in motion, the streets are scented with a thousand and one perfumes, the fast is over until the early morning. Ramadan is followed by all Muslim communities in Kerala, from Alleppey to Thiruvananthapuram, but it is in the north of the state that the celebrations are the most important.