It may give an impression that Ramadan is all about fasting. And to a certain extent, as a non believer, my life is affected - if I can be bold enough to say it is affected - because of the fasting and it's consequences to the traffic or public transportation.
However, it certainly isn't all about food. If you are to observe Ramadan, you should increase the number of your prayers and also the reading/reciting of the Koran.
[SIDE COMMENT:] [I know there are lots of discussion about prayers in Islamism, but I am the last person in the world who would discuss the differences between Sunnis, Shi'as, etc.]
Muslims have five mandatory prayer times. It is really a prayer time, because you should pray in pre-determined hours of the day. They are:
1st - Fajr, from dawn to sunrise;
2nd - Zuhr, after noon, until Asr, which is the next prayer time;
3rd - Asr, in the afternoon;
4th - Maghrib, after sunset or dusk;
5th - Isha, from dusk until dawn.
Now, prayer, it's not only to close your eyes or quietly recite some poem or verses. You have a whole prescription for prayer, including preparation, stance and place.
What does this have to do with Ramadan? In Ramadan you should pray more. So, people add another prayer time: the Tarawih, an extra congregational prayer at night. So, after breaking the fast, you'll see lots of people heading to the mosques.
Tarawih is an interesting way of accomplishing two things at once. During this prayers 1/30 of the Koran is recited. That means that in the end of Ramadan, you'll have recited the whole Koran plus prayed a lot more.
If you want to know details or go deeper in the subject, check the Wikipedia entry for worship practices in Islam.
However, it certainly isn't all about food. If you are to observe Ramadan, you should increase the number of your prayers and also the reading/reciting of the Koran.
[SIDE COMMENT:] [I know there are lots of discussion about prayers in Islamism, but I am the last person in the world who would discuss the differences between Sunnis, Shi'as, etc.]
Muslims have five mandatory prayer times. It is really a prayer time, because you should pray in pre-determined hours of the day. They are:
1st - Fajr, from dawn to sunrise;
2nd - Zuhr, after noon, until Asr, which is the next prayer time;
3rd - Asr, in the afternoon;
4th - Maghrib, after sunset or dusk;
5th - Isha, from dusk until dawn.
Now, prayer, it's not only to close your eyes or quietly recite some poem or verses. You have a whole prescription for prayer, including preparation, stance and place.
What does this have to do with Ramadan? In Ramadan you should pray more. So, people add another prayer time: the Tarawih, an extra congregational prayer at night. So, after breaking the fast, you'll see lots of people heading to the mosques.
Tarawih is an interesting way of accomplishing two things at once. During this prayers 1/30 of the Koran is recited. That means that in the end of Ramadan, you'll have recited the whole Koran plus prayed a lot more.
If you want to know details or go deeper in the subject, check the Wikipedia entry for worship practices in Islam.
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