Gooey Resolutions

Have you ever made a New Year's resolution? Maybe there was something in your life that you were neglecting, like the exercise bike buried under the mountain of clothes. Maybe you had a nasty habit that you wanted to quit, like piling your clothes in the corner, completely burying that...what's under there again?

Ramadan is sort of like that for Muslims, although it's not at the beginning of the year (it's the 9th month of the lunar calendar). It's a chance for people to stop their routine and focus on the things that are important to them.

The fasting helps because it shatters the normal eating schedule and causes people to look around with a fresh perspective. Fasting requires discipline to resist temptation, and Muslims see this month as a kind of training period, to set the pattern for the upcoming year.

Some of the good habits they try to develop include giving to the poor, committing to praying regularly and reading the sacred scriptures. What is the name of the Holy Book for Muslims? (today's question!) Quran (todays answer!).

During Ramadan, a devout person will try to spend more time reading and reciting the Quran, because they believe it is God's word and the primary source or every Muslim's faith and practice.

Where did the Quran come from? Good question. Be sure to tune in next time, when we will reveal the origins of this ancient, mysterious text...

And for those of you who found that a little too academic (still with me here?), here's something more sticky and gooey.


What is it? What's that you say, it looks like a giant Fruit Roll-Up? Not a bad guess. In Arabic it's called "kamaridine", made from apricots that are puréed, pressed out flat and dried. It's another tasty sweet that's traditionally eaten at Ramadan.