Northwood’s Muslim Student Association is holding an Iftar to observe the month-long Ramadan on April 4.

Ramadan, going from March 22 to April 21, is a holiday of introspection where Muslims reflect on the past year while fasting from dawn to sunset daily. To break the fast, Muslims typically hold an Iftar where friends and family gather to enjoy a meal together. Northwood, Portola, Irvine, University and Beckman High School’s MSA clubs are collaborating to host an Iftar for participating clubs’ high school students at the Islamic Center of Irvine from 6-8:30 p.m.

Activities planned for the event include a communal meal and a guest speaker to talk about the religious holiday. The event is designed to provide students with a comforting environment where they can relate with members of their cultural community and get closer to their religious beliefs, also known as deen.

“Every year, Ramadan is something I look forward to because it gives me a chance to connect with the Muslim community and improve my deen,” MSA publicist sophomore Laila Elzahed said. “Having the event hosted in conjunction with the other high schools is something that MSA has been planning for a while. We see it as a way to connect with other Muslims from other schools.”

In the weeks leading up to the holiday, MSA has held events and spread informational posts to raise awareness of the holiday and its traditions. One special tradition for Ramadan is artistic henna art done on one’s hands as a form of celebration. Several Northwood students are henna artists and are planning on using their skills during the Iftar.

“My friend and I own a henna business where we create designs out of a paste that can last for one to two weeks,” sophomore Yasmine Obaid said. “Henna is a cultural part of Ramadan that we typically do around the time of Eid, a celebration at the end of Ramadan.”

With the Iftar, MSA hopes to spread knowledge about Islamic cultural values and practices to people of varying backgrounds.

“At Northwood, we have a diverse campus and culture,” sophomore Raya Abu-Tarif said. “Having people learn about Islamic culture allows me to share an important religious holiday with not only the Muslim community but also the Northwood community.”

MSA meetings are held on Tuesday during lunch in Room 1422 and are open to anyone interested in learning more about Islamic culture.