The only festival that may really inconvenience you is Ramadan. During this month-long period of fasting, getting food (especially in small towns) can be difficult. Some budget hotels stop operating altogether.

Events:
Ramadan(September – annual)
The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar is devoted to fasting and is observed by Muslims throughout the world as one of the “five pillars” of the religion.
The other four are the declaration of faith, prayer, charity (Zakat), and the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah.

For an entire lunar month of 30 days, devout Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. The prohibition also extends to other pleasurable consumptions, like cigarettes, and activities such as sex.

The beginning of the observance is calculated by the lunar calendar, which is shorter than the Western Gregorian calendar. Every year Ramadan slides a couple of weeks back through the calendar, until it has covered the entire year.

Note: the dates provided here for Ramadan are general, and may vary by one or two days in some places. This is partly because Ramadan may be taken to be governed not by the actual astronomical phases of the moon, but with the moon’s sighting in the sky. Conditions of low visibility can thus shift the dates for the fast.

The fast itself can take many different forms, depending on which country you find yourself in, for example, but more distinct are the feasts at the end of the fast, often called Eid al-Fitr (or Hari Raya in Malaysia; the name of the festival can change depending on where you find yourself).

The reasons for this observance are varied. Throughout the varied worlds of Islam, it provides a unifying practice which all believers, whatever their nationality or particular creed, are meant to take part in. It reminds men of the benevolence of Allah, who gave the Quran to mankind in this month, and of the need for submission to Allah, or God. The emphasis on gratitude to Allah serves to remind the Muslim of the duty of charity towards the less fortunate, one of the pillars of Islam ( Zakat). In some places it is customary at the end of Ramadan to pay a “charity tax” to the poor.

The month is meant to represent a disciplining and purification of the body and soul, as well as a growing closer to Allah. As it says in the Quran, “Oh ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self restraint.”

Theologically speaking, a number of “mythical” things are said to happen during this month: those who have fasted are forgiven their sins on the last night of the month, because the Angels have incessantly asked Allah for forgiveness on their behalf for as long as they fasted. The devils are chained and the doorways to Hell are locked up, while the gates of Paradise open to the faithful.

Non-fasting visitors should exercise a modicum of cultural sensitivity during Ramadan, since breaking the tenets of the fast in public can cause offence. After Ramadan is over, everyone can enjoy the joyous, relaxed atmosphere.