Welcome the holy month of Ramadan on Twitter

Sunday, 5 June 2016

The holy month of Ramadan is a great time for 1.6 billion Muslims everywhere to use Twitter. From getting real-time updates on Ramadan activities in their neighbourhoods; to connecting with people around the world who share the Islamic faith; to sharing their well-wishes and special moments during the blessed month, Muslims flock to Twitter every day during the month of fasting.

In 2015, Tweets about Ramadan were seen 8.4 billion times, on and off Twitter. Ramadan is not only a religious time to be closer with Allah, but also moments to share and interact with others, especially Iftar and Suhour. In addition, food, travel and shopping are among the most discussed topics during the holy month on Twitter.

To help people around the world celebrate the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, we’re launching several initiatives to make Twitter more fun and useful every day during Ramadan.

Available globally, we’ve got a Twitter emoji for Ramadan again, but now we’re extending this fun form of self-expression to Periscope, too.

On Twitter, use any of the hashtags below in your Tweets and you’ll see a crescent moon appear next to these terms, from today to the end of the holy month.

Welcome the holy month of Ramadan on Twitter

On Periscope, add any of the hashtags below to the title of your broadcast, then when people tap the screen, the hearts will transform into crescent moons. This is Periscope’s first-ever custom heart designed for Ramadan.

Welcome the holy month of Ramadan on Twitter

In the Middle East, people can use Twitter to get daily reminders for Iftar and Imsak times. Simply follow and Tweet to @Alarabiya_Live with #امساكية and #cityname hashtags and you’ll receive a reply Tweet with the timings for that day.

In addition, many broadcasters across the Middle East will be sharing their content from their Ramadan series on Twitter, including show timings, TV star Q&As and show recaps. Follow these accounts to enjoy using Twitter as your social soundtrack to your favourite TV and radio channels, with more being added every day:
@alaantv
@AlNahar_TV
@BedayaTv
@CBCDrama
@CBCEgypt
@CBCeXtra
@cbcsofra
@dubaitv
@ELRadio_9090
@mbc1
@mbcmasr
@ONtveg
@SamadubaiTV

Finally, look out for exclusive Ramadan content using Twitter video, from Q&As with celebrities to reviews and daily recaps with leading content publishers. Here are examples of the accounts you can follow to see fun, interesting videos about Ramadan in your Twitter timeline:
@ajplusarabi
@Akhbarak
@AlMasryAlYoum
@e3langi
@Fatafeat
@FilFan
@Itfarrag
@Youm7

In Indonesia, people can celebrate the spirit of togetherness by using #KebersamaanRamadhan hashtag on Twitter. We are also collaborating with local partners to launch a new @ramadhan account to provide exclusive content around the Holy Month. By following and Tweeting specific hashtags to @ramadhan, you will receive Direct Messages (DMs) with prayer reminders (#JadwalShalat), daily wisdoms (#Inspirasi), and daily recipes (#Kuliner); giving you a more personalised Twitter experience during Ramadhan. During sahur and close to iftar times, @ramadhan will hold quizzes with daily, weekly and grand prizes, too.

Welcome the holy month of Ramadan on Twitter

The partners who are joining in this collaboration are well-respected religious leader KH Abdullah Gymnastiar (@aagym), well-known motivator Mario Teguh (@marioteguh), culinary expert Bondan Winarno (@PakBondan), online cooking television Kokiku TV (@KokikuTv), Masak TV (@MasakTV), as well as Indonesian culinary community ACMI (@acmiID). Follow @ramadhan now to see all of the amazing Tweets, DMs, and quizzes from our partners!

Welcome the holy month of Ramadan on Twitter

To all of our Muslims friends, may you have a blessed and peaceful Ramadan!