There is a Ramadan smell. The smell of harira simmering around 6 p.m., the msemen crackling, the bakhour that an aunt lights before tarawih. For many of us who grew up in Europe, the blessed month had this particular atmosphere at home, while outside everything continued as usual. Decoration is a bit like that: making it feel like this month is not like the others, even when the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way.
In 2027, Ramadan is expected to begin around February 8, based on the observation of the crescent moon. Here’s how to prepare your home simply, using items that you’ll use year after year rather than disposable garlands.
Why decorate the house for Ramadan?
Decorating for Ramadan is not a religious obligation. It is a family custom, which mainly serves to mark the time: the month of fasting, prayer and the Quran begins; the rhythm of the house changes. For children, it is often what makes the month concrete and joyful.
The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed is a guidance for the people.
«The month of Ramadan, during which the Quran was revealed as a guide for people.»
The Quran, Surah Al-Baqara (2), verse 185 · translation of the meaning
«When the month of Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.»
Hadith reported by al-Bukhari (3277) and Muslim (1079)
1. Announce the month right at the entrance
On the first evening, when one returns from prayer or shopping, a «Ramadan Mubarak» placed at the entrance is enough to turn the house into the blessed month. Ramadan Mubarak (Ramadan Mubarak) means «blessed be your Ramadan». It is also heard Ramadan Karim (Ramadan Kareem), «Generous Ramadan».
Wooden letters are placed on a console or a shoe cabinet and lie flat after Eid. They will be taken out next year, and the year after that. That’s the whole point compared to the banners made of ice or plastic that end up in the trash every year.
2. The iftar table, the true heart of the home
The ftour (or iftar, Breakfast) is the moment when the whole family gathers together. A linen tablecloth, earthenware bowls, a plate of dates in the center: tradition already sets the decor. The Prophet ﷺ broke his fast with fresh dates, or, if those were not available, with a few sips of water (reported by Abu Dawud, 2356, and at-Tirmidhi, 696).
A wooden word in the center of the table, «Ramadan» or «Bismillah», connects the meal with the meaning of the month. Avoid tables that are too high: you should be able to see each other and pass the dishes around.
«The fasting person has two joys: a joy at the moment of breaking his fast, and a joy when he meets his Lord.»
Hadith reported by al-Bukhari (1904) and Muslim (1151)
3. A soft light for evenings
Ramadan evenings are long: iftar, prayer, tarawih, tea, souhour. A soft light changes everything. A photophore with a candle on the coffee table, a few low lamps instead of the chandelier, and the house takes on that collected atmosphere that is associated with the nights of the blessed month.
For the last ten nights, when you search Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of PowerIn the night of Destiny, «better than a thousand months» (Sura Al-Qadr, 97, verse 3), this light helps to stay in prayer and invocation rather than in front of a screen.
4. A Quran corner to keep up your goal
Many set themselves a reading goal during Ramadan: finishing the Quran (doing a Khatma, The end of the story), or read one juz’ a day. The most effective way is to leave the Quran open in a specific place, on a Quran rest, with a bookmark. We pass by, sit down, and read for ten minutes. There’s no need for more.
5. A Ramadan calendar for children
Advent calendars have inspired Muslim families: a small compartment per day, with a date, a verse to learn or a good deed to do (helping set the table, calling grandma in the countryside, giving a toy). You can make it with kraft envelopes attached to a branch or a rope. There’s no need to buy a plastic model that will only be used once.
6. Fragrance the house before tarawih
In many families, they perfume the house before leaving for prayer or before the arrival of guests for the feast. Musk, amber, oud, orange blossom water: everyone has their own Ramadan scent. A diffuser in the entrance or living room does the job without smoke.
7. Prepare a prayer corner for the whole family
During Ramadan, we pray more often at home, sometimes together. This is the right time to set up a real prayer area: a ready-made prayer mat, a qibla stick, the Quran next to it, and why not a calligraphy in the shape of a mihrab to mark the direction of the qibla. We have detailed everything in our guide for arranging a salad corner.
8. Think about sharing, right from the decor
The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of men, and he was even more so during Ramadan (reported by al-Bukhari, 6). A nice idea: a wooden box near the entrance for the family’s sadaqa, where everyone deposits a coin each day, and whose contents are given before Eid. It reminds children that the month does not revolve around the meal itself.
The same spirit applies to the guests: «Whoever feeds a fasting person to break their fast receives an equivalent reward to their own, without reducing the fasting person’s reward» (reported by at-Tirmidhi, 807).
When to put up and take down Ramadan decor?
Most families decorate the day before the first day, once the announcement is made, or the weekend before. They keep it until Eid al-Fitr, when it gives way to festive decorations: it is often enough to replace the word «Ramadan» with «Eid» next to «Mubarak». Our ideas for that day are in the article Eid Decoration: From the night before to the morning of the holiday.
Then we sort everything in the same place, in a box: next year, the preparation will take ten minutes.
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