Ramadan began for Muslims in Germany last Saturday.

This means that believers are forbidden from eating, drinking and smoking from sunrise to sunset.

You pray together, and in the evening there is a common fast-breaking called Iftar.

But since the outbreak of the pandemic, many traditions have had to be abandoned.

As everywhere else, the mosques in Frankfurt had to adhere to the Corona rules, i.e. the obligation to wear masks, distance rules, admission restrictions.

As a result, joint prayers in the mosque, especially Friday prayers, which play a special role for many believers, were not possible at all or not on a large scale.

However, since most of the Corona rules were abolished in Hesse a few days ago, many mosque communities are happy to be able to celebrate Ramadan properly.

Onur Akdeniz, state manager of the Islamic religious community DITIB Hessen, knows what that means for many believers.

"We perceive that everyone is relieved and motivated to finally get back to some normality." In the past two years, one had to be flexible in order to adapt to the pandemic and the restrictions.

For example, in some mosques, Friday prayers were offered twice to limit the number of participants.

"Iftar to go" in front of the mosque

The Islamic Cultural Association of the As-Salam Mosque has also become creative in recent years.

Since it was not possible to break the fast together after sunset, "Iftar to go" was distributed in front of the mosque.

The association is offering this again this year: You can pick up freshly cooked food every day in front of the mosque, says Ahmed Ajabli, chairman of the cultural association.

This has been planned for a long time and is important for people who currently do not feel safe breaking the fast in a large group.

Because there is still some concern about the high number of infections, says Onur Akdeniz from DITIB.

But the joy of being able to pray together again without distance is great.

He expects that risk groups will now come back to the mosques.

That's why you can't do without all safety rules.

In the Frankfurt mosques, the mask requirement will continue to be enforced.

"It is visually present that the pandemic is not over," says Akdeniz.

This is also the case in the Hassan Mosque in Unterliederbach near Höchst: the obligation to wear a mask remains in place there.

Nevertheless, you can already see the difference there, says a spokesman.

After two long years of Corona, the mosque is finally full again, and we can eat and pray together without a gap.

Stick to the existing regulations

Mohamed Seddadi, managing director of the Frankfurt Islamic Community Association, hopes that the older generation will soon return to the connected Abu Bakr Mosque.

This is not yet the case.

There is also no common fast-breaking at sunset here.

However, as in the past two years, the association is offering to deliver food from donations to the believers for the Iftar.

The Nuur Mosque in Sachsenhausen is the fourth oldest mosque in Germany.

A spokesman says that loosening is still being handled very carefully here.

There are already more people coming than in the past few weeks, but you stick to the existing regulations such as the safety distance.

Because of the high corona numbers, the Nuur Mosque will keep these rules for a while.

“Ramadan is a holy month.

The joy of celebrating this is huge, with or without restrictions.”