“Beep, beep, beep, beep!” My alarm clock rang out across my room. I peered out from… “Beep, beep, beep, beep!” My alarm clock rang out across my room. I peered out from underneath my warm comforter – 6:30 a.m. The sacrifices I make for God, I thought. I dropped my hand down on top of the snooze button and grudgingly sat up in bed only to have my body drop back down. No, Natasha, you have to do this, I told myself. In one graceful motion, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat upright. I couldn’t play the snooze button game today. I had to eat before sunrise. It was Ramadan.

Today, is the first day of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. Last night, the 1.2 million Muslims around the world lifted their faces up to the sky in anticipation, as the sun set across the many nations, lands and seas, they waited for one heavenly sign, the new crescent moon. Its appearance signaled the beginning of this holy month.

During Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, using foul language, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset. Imagine, no food, water, not even a quick ‘ciggy’ during daylight hours, every day for a month.

Fasting is mandated so Muslims will be less preoccupied with bodily appetites, because the prophet of Islam, Mohammed, regulated this month as the time when people put their work, school, hobbies, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends second and concentrate on prayer and brushing up on the Quran. Another mandate is to purify behavior, give to charity and do only good deeds.

I placed the frying pan on the stove to start preparing my breakfast, as the oil heated up, memories of making large Ramadan banquets with my mother came flooding back to me. One of the best things about Ramadan is the emphasis on family and community. Breaking fast, Iftar, after sunset is a celebration for the Muslim community. Our dinner table would be assorted with traditional fasting essentials like dates and fresh breads along with delicious sweets and dishes from our own country of Bangladesh. Since everyone eats dinner at the same time, friends, family and Islamic communities get together to share in their evening meal.

The greatest celebration of all occurs at the end of Ramadan, which this year is approximated to be on Dec. 4 – instructors and professors please note that on your calendars! Eid ul Fitr is the Islamic festival that marks the end of the month and the end of fasting. The importance of this day to Muslims parallels Christmas’ importance to the Christians.

Yet, the excitement of Eid morning does not come from presents under a tree, but from putting on your best outfit and going to prayer with the Islamic community in your area.

A large Islamic organization in Pittsburgh holds morning Eid prayer at Trees Hall every year. It’s a place where hundreds of Muslims in Pittsburgh can come together in one place without being separated into individual Islamic centers and mosques. Women, men, and children from every part of the world congregate to this one location.

There are women from Indonesia, wearing traditional exotic East Asian garments, along side children from various parts of Africa with their clothes radiant in brilliant colors, next to people from South Asia fashioning beautiful silks, American converts wearing their Eid best, and many more cultures and ethnicities partaking in the festivities. I remember in the past, even the mayor would drop in to show his support.

After prayer, the diverse crowd of different cultures and tongues embrace each other and exchange the Arabic greeting of “Eid Mubarak” or “a blessed Eid.” The rest of the day is spent visiting friends and relatives. In some places, children are given gifts or money from their parents and relatives.

Putting away my dishes, I saw a soft pink glow escape through the blinds in my small apartment living room. Pulling them up, I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise. I became overcome with the “Ramadan spirit.” This month isn’t going to be easy, I thought, but what great things really are? As a Muslim, Ramadan is not just a holiday for me, but it’s an opportunity to gain by giving up, to prosper by going without, and to ultimately be a stronger and a better human being.

Natasha Khan can be reached at [email protected].