Cham ethnic people living in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang are enjoying some of the happiest days of the year, as Ramadan has arrived, lasting a whole month from the last week of June.

The festival, which falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, has special meaning for the ethnic group. On these days, Islamic followers from 15 years of age abstain from food and drink during the daytime in order to understand the lives led by poor people, teaching them patience and humility.

Ramadan also presents Muslims in the province an opportunity to review their rights and wrongs and work towards becoming better followers of Islam and better citizens to society.

The Cham ethnic community in An Giang was established 200 years ago and is now made up of nearly 15,000 people, whose livelihoods are mainly based on traditional brocade weaving, cattle farming and agricultural production.

The Cham are one of the province’s four largest ethnic groups, along with the Kinh, the Hoa and the Khmer, and have greatly contributed to its socio-economic development.-VNA