About Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar — the month in which the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad on the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr). For its 29 or 30 days, observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and intimacy from the first thread of dawn to sunset, breaking the fast each evening with a small meal called iftar (traditionally beginning with dates and water) and rising again before dawn for suhoor.
For a deeper historical treatment, see Ramadan — Wikipedia.
Although the fast is the public face of the month, Ramadan is at heart a season of intensified prayer (especially the night prayer Tarawih), Quran recitation, and increased charity (Zakat and the smaller Sadaqah). Cards sent at the start of Ramadan tend to wish a 'blessed' or 'easy' month rather than a 'happy' one — the tone is reflective and warm, not festive.
Traditional greetings
The phrases below are the ones most often used to mark Ramadan in person, by phone, and on cards. The native-script column shows the greeting as a recipient would read it; the transliteration is for those who would like to say it aloud; the English column is a literal rather than a poetic translation.
| Language | Greeting | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | رمضان مبارك | Ramadan Mubarak | Blessed Ramadan |
| Arabic | رمضان كريم | Ramadan Kareem | Generous Ramadan |
| Turkish | Hayırlı Ramazanlar | Blessed Ramadans | |
| Indonesian | Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa | Welcome to the worship of fasting | |
| Urdu | رمضان مبارک ہو | Ramadan Mubarak ho | Blessed Ramadan to you |
Design tips for printable Ramadan cards
Hand-printed cards for Ramadan reward restraint and specific reference. The notes below distil what the most thoughtful cards in the tradition tend to do — and what the most commercial ones tend to get wrong.
- Lanterns (fanous) — especially Egyptian ones — are the classic Ramadan motif and read instantly.
- A simple crescent moon in foil silver against deep midnight is more dignified than crescent-and-star.
- Avoid food imagery on the cover — keep iftar references for the inside.
- Ramadan is a month, not a day — write the verse for the whole season, not for a single sunset.
- A geometric pattern of eight-pointed stars (the Khatam Sulayman) makes a beautiful repeating endpaper.
A starting palette:
Five verses for Ramadan cards
Each verse below is short enough to copy onto a folded card by hand. They progress from formal to intimate; pick the one that best fits the relationship and the year you are writing into.
- Ramadan Mubarak. May this month find you patient, found, fed at sunset, and held by everyone you love.
- Thirty days, one moon, one slow turning toward what matters — a blessed Ramadan to you and your household.
- May the dates be sweet, the prayers be long, the pre-dawn meal be quiet, and the small charities go unnoticed.
- Ramadan Kareem. May the month be generous to you in exactly the ways you need.
- From the first sighting of the moon to the last, may the fast leave you lighter than you began.
Related cultural holidays
Other holidays observed in the Middle East & North Africa family of traditions: