Ramadan a holy month of fasting for a devout Muslims have started here in Korea this year on May 6th and ends on June 5th. Islam is a minority religion here in Korea, but when the Ramadan period starts, mosques across the nation, especially the one here in Itaewon, gets crowded with Muslims and also non-Muslims who want to get a better understanding of the religion of Islam and experience the festivity. Across the world, Muslims fast each day for the entire month of Ramadan abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk. That means around 15 hours without food, water, cigarettes, or caffeine. Because we call the considered additional Ahamish.есь? Because we return to Allah. For Muslims, fasting is aimed at getting closer to God through self-control. For many, the challenge of fasting is also a chance to cleanse and purify the spirit and body. During the Ramadan, the Etaewon's whole central mosque pairs free meals for hundreds of Muslims after sunset and host prayers every night. After sunset, when the day long fast comes to an end, Muslims gather for an even meal called Iftar. Iftar is actually a really, really big meal because people haven't eaten all day long, no food, no water. So as you can see, on my back there are a lot of people who came to enjoy Iftar. This is my first. It's your first. Yeah, my first. Okay, so what does Ramadan means to you? Come on then. It means gathering, you know, getting together. Back home, the family gets together, but here there is no family, so this is our family, you know. Okay, it's not about food or it's not about like what do you see here, it's about being together. Feeling Ramadan, this is a Muslim society, we can feel it here, we can be together so we can just remember ourselves about our traditions and cultures about Ramadan feelings. I came here when I was three, so basically it's a little less than 17 years, but it's been a long time since I've been coming here, like every year. So every year when you come here, how do you feel? Well it feels very heartwarming because you see a lot of people before Iftar just working together to get the food. It's to understand what the people who's been starving, like people in the streets and people who doesn't have the access to the food, it's so that we can feel how they feel. So in a way it makes us understand how what they would go through, so I think that's wonderful. How do you like the Ramadan period here in Korea? I say you too, I very love Korea and in Ramadan I'm very happy to speak with people from all over the world, from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, from Korea, from Thailand, in Indonesia. It's very fantastic. Ramadan is like a festival for Muslims because they not only purify their souls through being part of the holy fasting and prayers, but also try to relate with those going through poverty and other hardships in life. Feeling of community and varying hardships together are what Muslims here say is the essence of Ramadan. Muslims away from home may miss the large family gatherings during the Ramadan back in their country, but despite the busy hustle of soul life, it is a unique experience to see Muslims celebrate their own here in Korea, with like-minded friends bringing nights to life for a month.