Ramadan Greeting Stamps: Palestine 2011

In 2011, Palestine issued a set of four Ramadan greeting stamps and two sheets to celebrate the month of Ramadan. The Stamps have the mention “Ramadan Kareem“, which could translate into “Ramdan is Generous”. 

Ramadan is celebrated as the month during which the prophet Muhammad received the initial revelations of what became the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, from God. It is considered as a month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam.

Ramadan is the 9th month in the lunar Islamic calendar. This month could be of 29 or 30 days depending on when the new moon is visible. 

Fasting rules

During this month Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity from dawn to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behaviour. The month ends with a three-days feast called Eid-Al-Fitr. Fasting in Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Fasting period

As the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by 11 days, the month of Ramadan occurs at a different Gregorian date each year. Because of the date variation, the fasting month will over time occur in all seasons.

Depending on the season when Ramadan occurs, and the geographic location, fasting duration will be shorter or longer. Also, the level of temperature and weather conditions will make fasting easier or harder.