Decoration With Grace In the Holy Month of Ramadan

It’s that time of year again when everything comes together when we Muslims don’t fill our stomachs to nourish our spirits. This is the time of year when the devil is imprisoned and the gates of heaven are thrust open to the world. It’s that time of year when the scent of deep-fried Indian delicacies, such as samosas and egg rolls, wafts through my garments and into my apartment every evening around sunset.

Ramadan greetings! I feel super blessed in connecting with you again

For Muslims worldwide, Ramadan USA is a month of kindness, forgiveness, and increased devotion to their religion. The month of Ramadan is the holiest in the Islamic calendar. Why? Because Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) got the first revelation of the Holy Quran through the archangel Jibril during this month, hundreds of years ago (Gabriel). Islam requires Muslims, including myself and my family, to fast from dawn to sunset for about 30 days to remember this revelation, renew our relationship with Allah (God), and separate themselves from worldly pleasures.

It’s not surprising that Ramadan can prove difficult because it’s difficult to refrain from food, water, and sin while simultaneously maintaining normal levels of work and increased levels of prayer (to no one’s surprise). But no matter how often Saad and I fall into our suhoor cereal bowls in the morning or have to grin through unexpected gut rumblings at work uncomfortably, I want us to enjoy and treasure this month together.

Making a festive atmosphere in our house helps me to welcome Ramadan into our home, separate this month from others, and remind us of our religious objectives. As a result, I’ve begun decorating our apartment for Ramadan to commemorate the holiday. My Ramadan décor was sleek and minimalistic the previous year. I chose an exquisite black and gold color scheme for my decorations this year.

Let’s start with a quick rundown of the items I purchased.

Ramadan decorations that are becoming increasingly popular

Ignore the fact that this piece is being published halfway through Ramadan 2019, and trust me when I claim that I went shopping for décor early in the month. Below are a handful of the new items that I’ve added to my collection, which are not styled.

I originally featured the green version in a blog post from last year, but I ended up purchasing the white version since it is more current in appearance. I got the hanging gold lantern and wooden ‘Ramadan Kareem’ sign on Etsy, and they are both beautiful.

My earliest shopping expeditions were not guided by a certain theme, which allowed me to be more flexible. Instead, I wished to select works that met four certain requirements.

1. A business that is owned by Muslims. The fact that companies like Party City include Ramadan and Eid decorations in their product lines is a beautiful sign that Ramadan and Eid are becoming more popular. While this is a boon for variety and convenience, these large merchants are sometimes at the expense of Muslim-owned small companies that were among the first to market with Islamic design, which is not a good thing (no good). Furthermore, when you purchase mass-produced decorations, your iftar celebration will look exactly the same as everyone else’s. Not being one to follow the crowd is not my style.
2. A long-term investment: Our beautiful planet is being overrun by plastic and rubbish, which pollutes our oceans, endangers species and contributes to climate change as a result of human activity. My heart breaks for the Earth, but I’m also aware that I have the ability to contribute to its preservation. Instead of purchasing one-time use products such as balloons, I looked for long-lasting investment pieces that I could use for several Ramadans in an effort to lessen my environmental imprint.
3. It’s elegant, not garish because it’s space-themed. In general, I don’t like Ramadan decorations that appear like western birthday party decorations that have been coated with a thousand moons and stars from a galaxy far, far away. The Ramadan décor that I like contains more eastern aspects and graceful Islamic patterns reminiscent of Muslim nations and mosques, rather than the opposite. I wanted our Ramadan décor to serve as a constant reminder of our faith rather than a month-long social gathering.
4. It is a good match for our condo. Decor during Ramadan, or any other sort of décor, should be in keeping with the overall style of your home. The main level of our apartment is anchored by contemporary black furniture with pops of red, gold, and purple colour throughout. In order to complement this colour palette, I leaned toward classy (but yet fun!) Ramadan decorations.

Decorating tip: Purchase your Ramadan décor a month before Ramadan begins to ensure that you have the greatest selection before it sells out and that you have enough time to receive it.

Now that you have a better understanding of everything I purchased let’s take a tour of my home so you can see how I decorated things and, maybe, gain some inspiration for your own home.