30 Bergen towns will celebrate Ramadan this year. Here's how it happened

Thirty towns and villages across Bergen County will mark Ramadan this year with ceremonies and festive displays of sparkling crescent moons, colorful lanterns and "Happy Ramadan" signs, in an unprecedented local show of support and inclusion for local Muslim communities.

Community members drove the effort, organizing on WhatsApp and calling and visiting town halls to request events to mark the Muslim holy month. The response was overwhelmingly positive, they said.

“So many towns have really embraced it and are championing it and are asking ‘How can we do this?’ and ‘How can we help?' ” said Shahanaz Arjumand, a community organizer from Teaneck.

The first of this year’s "Celebrate Ramadan" events took place in Teaneck on Thursday, with elected leaders joining community members to learn about Ramadan in a gathering at the library before lighting the crescent moon on the municipal green.

For Muslims, the Ramadan events are a sign of acceptance and recognition of their growing presence in North Jersey. They are also a way to share and celebrate their faith with the community.

Muslims make up 3% of the population in New Jersey and are a fast-growing community in many Bergen County towns. During Ramadan, devotees fast from sunrise to sunset and focus on prayer, charity and sacrifice. At the end of the month, they celebrate the holiday Eid al-Fitr, or the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," when families join together, feast on traditional dishes and exchange gifts.

Depending on sighting of the new moon, Ramadan is expected to begin on Wednesday, March 22, and continue through April 20, ending in Eid al-Fitr. The crescent moon and lanterns are Islamic symbols often used in decorations during Ramadan.

‘A sense of belonging’

Ramadan events are not new to Bergen County. The county holds an annual iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan, with elected officials and Muslim community leaders and clergy. A handful of towns have held Ramadan lighting ceremonies in the past. But the show of support this year has been huge.

Nick Matahen of Paramus, where a Ramadan lantern lighting ceremony has been held since 2016, was eager to help organize events in other towns. In Paramus, families have cherished the event, which made them feel both welcome and included, he said. People typically dress up and take pictures, posting them on social media and sharing photos with relatives, he said.

“For our kids, who are born in America and who are Muslim, they can feel proud about their identity and feel a sense of belonging,” he said, “They feel they are respected and celebrated like any other kid in town.”

Hashir Qazi, a Paramus resident who also helped organized the "Celebrate Ramadan" events, said Muslim families want to feel recognized in towns that already hold occasions to light Christmas trees and menorahs.

“For us, this is an investment in our communities and towns, not just for our children, but for our children’s friends so they can celebrate with us and know what it means to us,” he said.

Event organizers also hoped that spreading positivity and awareness about Islam and the Muslim community could help to counter the Islamophobia they sometimes face.

In all, 28 Bergen County municipalities will hold Ramadan events and lightings. Two other towns committed to display the crescent fixture on municipal property. Several other towns asked to be included, but volunteers didn't have time to work with all of them this year, Arjumand said.

In some communities, volunteers are donating the crescent fixtures that are lighted during celebrations, Qazi said. Community members are invited to the events, where community leaders will talk about Ramadan and invite people to join in arts and crafts and to sample foods enjoyed during Ramadan.

Municipalities holding Ramadan events this year include: Bergenfield, Bogota, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fairview, Franklin Lakes, Hackensack, Leonia, Mahwah, Maywood, Midland Park, Montvale, New Milford, Paramus, Ridgefield Park, River Vale, Saddle River, Teaneck, Tenafly, Upper Saddle River, Washington Township, Woodcliff Lake and Wyckoff. Allendale and Ridgewood will put up displays.

The Eid Committee of New Jersey, which organizes Eid prayer and events for the Muslim community, is helping to fund and will co-host the events across Bergen County in collaboration with Muslim groups, mosques and businesses. For more information about "Celebrate Ramadan" events, visit eidcommittee.org.

Ramadan events are also popular in neighboring Passaic County, home to a large Muslim population. Official lighting ceremonies are planned in Woodland Park, Haledon, Paterson, Clifton, Elmwood Park and Prospect Park and at the county building.

Ramadan celebrations and lightings

March 16 • 6 p.m., Teaneck Municipal Green and Teaneck Library. • 7 p.m., Englewood Cliffs Community Building, 488 Hudson Terrace.

March 17 • Firemen's Circle Park in Fairview.• 6 p.m., Edgewater Borough Hall.

March 18• 6 p.m., at Montvale North Park.

March 19• 5 p.m., Fair Lawn Borough Hall.• 6 p.m., Upper Saddle River Borough Hall.• 6 p.m., Washington Township Town Hall Senior Center.• 2 p.m., Hackensack Performing Arts Center.

• March 21• 6 p.m., Cresskill library. • 6 p.m., River Vale Town Hall parking lot.• 8 p.m., at Bogota Borough Hall.

March 22• 6 p.m., corner of Maywood and Passaic Streets, Maywood.• 6 p.m., New Milford Borough Hall.• 7:30 p.m., at Englewood City Hall.

March 23• 6 p.m., Ridgefield Park Town Hall.

March 24• 6 p.m., Mahwah Town Hall.

March 25• 5:30 p.m., Leonia Borough Hall.

March 26• 6 p.m., Huyler Park in Tenafly.

March 27• 6:30 p.m., Franklin Lakes Borough Hall.

April 3• 6 p.m., Closter Borough Hall.

April 15 • 6 p.m., 1 Jockish Square in Paramus

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How a push for Ramadan celebrations spread across Bergen County