Having observed the new moon of the ninth month of 1440 AH of the Islamic calendar on the evening of May 5, the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs announced that Ramadan this year was to begin the following day, on May 6, and continue through to June 4.
Ramadan — the ninth month of the Islamic calendar — is the holiest month of Islam. Muslims believe that in the ninth month of 610 AD, the Koran was first revealed by Allah to Mohammed, the Islamic prophet. When Ramadan begins depends on when the new moon appears within the month.
During Ramadan, the month of fasting, Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex between sunrise and sunset. This abstinence, helps people understand the suffering of the poor, cherish what they have and exercise self-discipline.
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, these being declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage (to Mecca). The Five Pillars are mandatory activities for Muslims to participate in during their lifetime.
Muslims worship five times a day. During Ramadan, in addition to the evening prayer, they include the tarawih prayer between 7 to 9pm. By reading the Koran and increasing the number of prayers said during the day, Muslims can get closer to Allah.
Muslims are restricted to two meals a day during Ramadan. In Indonesia, the mosque performs the call to prayer just before dawn, at about 4:20am. Muslims are expected to have finished their sahur (pre-dawn meal) before their fast continues. After that, they abstain from eating and drinking for about 13 hours until the call to prayer at about 5:45pm, when they can have their iftar (the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset).
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
Dates are an essential part of the meal for breaking the fast. These are rich in nutrients and easy to digest, suppress hunger and avoid the temptation to overeat. In addition to dates, the meal also includes boiled water, fruit, rice and various side dishes. Although basic, it is a welcome meal for those breaking their fast.
Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), an occasion in which Muslims get together with relatives and friends. Large numbers of people return home for this occasion.
There are about 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. Of Indonesia’s population of 267 million, around 90 percent are Muslim, making Indonesian the largest Muslim country.
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
印尼宗教部本月五日傍晚觀測到伊斯蘭曆一四四○年九月的新月後，宣布齋戒月自五月六日開始至六月四日。
伊斯蘭曆的九月是齋戒月，也是伊斯蘭教最聖潔的一個月，穆斯林相信真主阿拉在西元六一○年九月首度將可蘭經揭示給先知穆罕默德。齋戒月開始的時間取決於九月的新月何時出現。
穆斯林在齋戒月期間，每天日出到日落間不可進食、飲水或有親密行為，希望由體會飢餓與口渴，來理解窮人的痛苦，以珍惜所有、自我克制。
齋戒是伊斯蘭教的「五功」之一，五功是唸、禮、課、齋、朝，分別是唸清真言、謹守禮拜、固定捐獻、齋戒、一生至少到麥加朝聖一次。五功是穆斯林在生活中必須參與的重大事件。
平日穆斯林每天禮拜五次，齋戒月期間，穆斯林於晚間禱告後，在夜晚七時至九時之間需進行額外的「泰拉威」祈禱，藉由讀可蘭經與增加祈禱次數，更接近真主。
穆斯林在齋戒月每天僅吃兩餐。在印尼，清真寺在破曉前、約四時二十分播放宣禮，在這之前穆斯林須用完封齋飯，之後約十三小時期間不得進食或喝水，直到傍晚約五時四十五分日落的宣禮後才能吃開齋飯（iftar）。
開齋的必備食物是甜度很高的椰棗，椰棗營養豐富，易消化，也可減低飢餓感，避免因飢餓而一下子暴飲暴食。除了椰棗，還有開水、水果、白飯和配菜，雖然簡單，但對在齋戒月戒食的民眾來說，卻是很美味的。
齋戒月結束後的開齋節是穆斯林與親友團聚的假期，屆時將出現大批返鄉潮。
全球估計有十六億穆斯林，印尼人口約兩億六千七百萬，約九成是穆斯林，是穆斯林人口最多的國家。
(中央社)
An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, but global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people. “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Most people will never be exposed to this.” The virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. Hantaviruses have been around for centuries and are thought to
Have you ever wondered how people navigate the world when they can’t see a map? For individuals with visual impairments, conventional maps are nearly impossible to use. This is where tactile maps come in — essential tools that allow people to “see” the world through touch. A tactile map is specially designed with raised lines, textures, and symbols to represent geographical features such as roads, rivers, and buildings. Users explore it with their fingertips. However, these maps are not exclusively for people with visual disabilities. They serve as valuable multisensory learning tools that enhance spatial understanding for everyone, making
A growing green movement allows hotel guests to fund tree planting projects simply by opting out of daily room cleans. This approach turns an ordinary hotel stay into a direct contribution to nature. Founded in the Netherlands, the nonprofit “Hotels for Trees” operates on the principle that one skipped cleaning equals one new tree. It has planted more than 750,000 trees since 2021. Similarly, Sarnia Hotels in Guernsey donates ￡2 per refused clean. Since 2024, over 3,300 services have been cancelled, raising sufficient money to plant 1,100 native trees and hedgerows. Simplicity has been central to this success.
1. 他病了三天。 ˇ He has been sick for three days. χ He has been sick since three days. 註︰這裡現在完成時態 have / has been 表示從過去某一時日到現在的一段時間存在的行為或狀態，與它連用的時間副詞應為 「for ＋若干時」，如 for a year, for three hours 等，意思是歷時多少。 2. 他自從星期三以來都很忙。 ˇ He has been busy since Wednesday. χ He has been busy from Wednesday. 註︰「自從……以來」，該用 since。說從某一天（某一時刻）到某一天（某一時刻）才用 from，如 from Monday till Friday。 3. 房間角落裡散放著一些零星物件。 ˇ There were some odds and ends lying in the corner of the room. χ There were some odds and ends lying at the corner of the room. 註︰「在房間角落裡」該用介詞 in。例如： He stood in the corner. There is a lamp in the corner of the room. at the corner 指房子外部的拐角。例如： A little boy
RSS