Decorating for Ramadan and Eid with prints
Simple ways to mark the month and the feast at home, from a single crescent by the door to a table set for iftar.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It begins when the new crescent is sighted, or when the previous month has run its full thirty days, and it ends with Eid al-Fitr on the first day of Shawwal. Because the Islamic year follows the moon, it is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, so Ramadan arrives a little earlier each year and moves slowly through every season.
Decorating for the month is a newer habit in many homes, and it can be as small or as full as you like. The aim is not spectacle. It is to give the house a different feeling for thirty days, so that children notice the change and the evenings feel set apart.
Start with one piece
If you only do one thing, hang a single print where the household passes most often, the hallway or the wall facing the front door. A crescent is the natural choice, since the month begins with it. New Crescent, a thin gold moon high on midnight blue, or Crescent and Star from the Hilal collection both work well on their own.
Swap an existing picture rather than adding a new nail. Changing what is already on the wall makes the season feel like a deliberate shift, and after Eid you can put the usual picture back.
Light, drawn and real
Lanterns have long been associated with Ramadan, particularly in Egypt, where the fanous has long been part of the month and is now seen across the Muslim world. Our Lantern & Light collection is drawn so that the glow itself is the picture: a single great fanous in a niche, a lantern shop hung to the ceiling, one candle on a sill.
These prints are at their best near a real source of warm light. Hang The Fanous or Candle Niche above a side table with a small lamp or battery candle, and the drawn glow and the real one start to work together after sunset.
A wall to count the days
Lunar Month shows twenty-nine moons in a grid, from the first thin crescent through the full moon to the last. Printed large, it makes a quiet calendar for children: they can find each night’s moon, or you can mark the days with small paper dots stuck to the glass. Phases from the Hilal collection does the same in a looser layout.
The iftar table
The table is where the day ends, so it deserves a little attention. A print does not need to hang to be useful. Lean Bowl of Dates or Iftar Tray in a frame on a sideboard or shelf near the table, and move it after the month. A pair of small square prints in matching frames either side of a mirror also works well in a dining room.
The aim is not spectacle. It is to give the house a different feeling for thirty days.
A simple seasonal set
If you would like a small group, three prints in the same frame size make a calm row above a sofa or console. A few combinations that hang well together:
- Night: New Crescent, Three Lanterns and Night Over the City, all on deep grounds.
- Warm: Bowl of Dates, Horseshoe Arch and Arch within Arch, in bone and sand.
- Light: The Fanous, Candle Niche and Moon Lantern from Lantern & Light.
Keep to one frame colour across the set. Thin black or natural oak frames suit the darker prints; brass or gold frames suit the night pieces if you want a little more warmth.
For Eid
Eid al-Fitr is a morning feast, and the mood changes from lamplight to daylight. Eid Morning, a pale sun rising behind domes and minarets in bone and peach, is drawn for that shift. Gilded Borders and Hanging Stars bring a little more celebration for the day itself.
Prints also make a thoughtful Eid gift. Because the files are free for personal use, you can print one at a good size, frame it, and give it to family or friends. A verse, a crescent or a lantern chosen with the recipient in mind says more than something bought in a hurry.
Keeping it year round
Several of the prints in Ramadan & Eid are made in warm bone and sand so they can stay up after the month. Horseshoe Arch, Arch within Arch and Bowl of Dates sit comfortably in a kitchen or hallway at any time of year, a small reminder of the month until it comes round again.