Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, the beginning of the new month is marked by the new moon. An Islamic lunar year is shorter than a civil year, so the first day of Ramadan falls on another date in the Gregorian calendar every year. Moreover, it may fall during different seasons in different years. In Muslim countries where certain public holidays are celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, they may be moved to another date when they fall during Ramadan.
Ramadan is the month when Muslims worldwide commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad. During the entire month, they fast every day from dawn to sunset. While fasting, Muslims are required to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations.
In addition, Muslims must refrain from what is referred to as “sinful behavior”. It includes gossip, cursing, lying, angry and sarcastic retorts, lust, greed, envy, anger, and violence (except in self-defense). They need to avoid all irreligious and obscene stimuli because purity of thought is as important as purity of action. Besides, fasting during Ramadan usually includes an increase of praying, reciting the Quran, charity, and doing good deeds.
Fasting during Ramadan (Siyam) is considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam, five basic acts considered mandatory by observant Muslims. The other four are faith (Shahada), prayer (Salah), charity (Zakat), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). Fasting is seen as a way to find a raised level of closeness to God.
Fasting during Ramadan becomes obligatory for Muslims as soon as they reach puberty. Although prepubescent children are exempt from fasting, some choose to fast for at least half a day to train themselves.
There are several types of people who are exempt from fasting. They include individuals suffering from a physical or mental illness, travelers, menstruating women, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, and the elderly. Generally, a person may be excused from fasting if fasting during Ramadan would be excessively problematic for them.
If the circumstance that prevents one from fasting is temporary, they are required to make up for the missed days of fasting after this year’s Ramadan ends and before the next year’s Ramadan begins. When the circumstance is long-lasting or permanent, one can make up by feeding a person in need for every day of the fast that has been missed.
Muslims end their daily fast at sunset with an evening meal called Iftar. Many mosques hold community meals with people gathering to pray and break their fast together. Feeding someone Iftar is considered a very rewarding form of charity. In many Muslim countries, Iftar includes traditional dishes. Early in the morning, before the dawn starts to rise and the daily fast begins, Muslims consume one more meal called Suhur. It is eaten before the Fajr prayer, which is the first of the five daily prayers.
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On April 3, Guineans celebrate Second Republic Day. This public holiday commemorates the 1984 bloodless coup that established the so-called Second Republic.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed as a month of fasting by Muslims all over the world. The first day of Ramadan is an official non-working day in Muslim countries and in some countries with a large Muslim population.
World Party Day, also referred to as P-Day, is an annual global celebration that occurs on April 3. This event focuses on creating a better reality for all the people in the world.
World Aquatic Animal Day is an annual awareness campaign organized by the Aquatic Animal Law Initiative and the Animal Law Clinic at the Center for Animal Law Studies of Lewis & Clark Law School. Its main goal is to raise awareness of the plight of aquatic animals and their crucial role in ecosystems.
The first Sunday in April is traditional celebration of Geologist Day. This professional holiday was established in the Soviet Union in 1980, but after its collapse the tradition to celebrate Geologist Day wasn't forgotten. Nowadays it's a professional holiday of geologist in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
A Drop of Water Is a Grain of Gold is a national holiday in Turkmenistan. It is annually observed on the first Sunday in April. The holiday was established by Saparmurat Türkmenbaşy 's Presidential Decree in 1995.
On April 3, an informal holiday known as Tweed Day is observed. Not only the origins of this non-traditional holiday are unknown, it is also unclear what exactly this particular event celebrates.
If you’re a fan of light, airy desserts and chocolate, you absolutely need to celebrate National Chocolate Mousse Day on April 3. Chocolate mousse is such a fabulous treat that it definitely deserves its own holiday.
- Zilker Kite Festival in Austin, USA
- Kanamara Matsuri in Kawasaki, Japan
- ZagrebDox in Zagreb, Croatia
- Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, USA
- MoCCA Arts Festival in New York, USA
- VeggieWorld in Zürich, Switzerland
- Fumetto in Lucerne, Switzerland
- VeggieWorld in Paris, France
- IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria
- WonderCon in Anaheim, USA
- Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival in Vancouver, Canada
- Fantasporto Film Festival in Porto, Portugal
- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, USA
- Japan International Boat Show in Yokohama, Japan
- Russian Open Documentary Film Festival Artdocfest in Moscow, Russia
- 2009 Jiverly Antares Wong, a naturalized American citizen from Vietnam, opened fire at the ACA immigration center in Binghamton, killing 13 people.
- 2004 Islamic terrorists involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings were trapped by the police inside their apartment and committed suicide.
- 1998 Died: Mary Cartwright, British mathematician who was the first to analyze a dynamical system with chaos (together with John Edensor Littlewood).
- 1991 Died: Graham Greene, English writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. One of his best known works is The Quiet American.
- 1990 Died: Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer who is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of the 20th century, along with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
- 1986 Born: Amanda Bynes, American actress and fashion designer who rose to prominence due to Nickelodeon series All That and The Amanda Show.
- 1981 Died: Juan Trippe, American airline entrepreneur and pioneer best known for having founded Pan American World Airways in 1927.
- 1975 American grandmaster Bobby Fischer lost his title of World Chess Champion by refusing to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov.
- 1974 The second biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history (after the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak) occurred in North America, killing 319 people.
- 1973 Born: Adam Scott, American film and television actor who is best known for playing Ben Wyatt on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
- 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his last speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop", at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. He was assassinated on the next day.
- 1968 Born: Charlotte Coleman, English actress best known for her role as Scarlett in the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral. She died at age 33.
- 1961 Born: Eddie Murphy, American actor, comedian, director, writer, and singer who is one of the highest-grossing actors in the United States.
- 1958 Born: Alec Baldwin, American stage, film and television actor, comedian, and film producer. He is a member of the Baldwin family that includes seven professional performers.
- 1950 Died: Kurt Weill, German composer who is best known for having composed music for Bertolt Brecht's plays, including The Threepenny Opera.
- 1948 The Jeju Uprising against the US Army Military Government began on the island of Jeju, South Korea. It was brutally suppressed by the South Korean army.
- 1948 US President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan, the initiative to help European countries rebuild their economies after the Second World War.
- 1930 Born: Helmut Kohl, German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1982 to 1990 and of the reunited Germany from 1990 to 1998.
- 1924 Born: Marlon Brando, American actor and activist who is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors of all the time and a cultural icon.
- 1897 Died: Johannes Brahms, German composer and pianist. He created numerous works but is remembered foremost for his symphonies.
- 1893 Born: Leslie Howard, English stage and film actor, director, and producer best known for his role of Ashley Wilkes in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.
- 1888 The first of the so-called Whitechapel murders occurred. At various points these unresolved murders of women have been ascribed to Jack the Ripper.
- 1885 Born: Bud Fisher, American cartoonist who is best known for having created Mutt and Jeff, the first successful daily comic strip in the US.
- 1882 Died: Jesse James, American outlaw, bank robber, train robber, gang leader, and murderer, one of the legendary figures of the Wold West.
- 1860 The first successful United States Pony Express run began. The route started at St. Joseph, Missouri and ended in Sacramento, California.
- 1849 Died: Juliusz Słowacki, Polish Romantic poet who is considered one of the Three Bards of Polish literature, along with Adam Mickiewicz and Zygmunt Krasiński.
- 1738 Born: Washington Irving, American short story writer, essayist, historian, biographer, and diplomat best known for his short story Rip Van Winkle.
- 1682 Died: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish Baroque painter who is remembered foremost for his religious works such as Saint Peter in Tears.
- 1680 Died: Shivaji, Indian warrior king who founded the Maratha Empire. He is sometimes considered a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus.
- 1043 The coronation of Edward the Confessor took place at Winchester Cathedral. Edward the Confessor is considered the last king of the House of Wessex.