(RNS) — Every Christmas season as her neighbors draped their house and grounds with festive lights, Jasmina Husic’s children asked the same question: “Mama and baba, why don’t we decorate for Christmas?” she said.
The mother of five, who lives in Kennesaw, Georgia, would explain that they can appreciate Christmas, but that it’s not a Muslim holiday. That didn’t seem to satisfy their curiosity. So a couple of years ago during Ramadan, she tried something different — Husic bought crescent string lights and inflatables to decorate her yard with her kids.
“And they were so excited,” said Husic. “Now they realize, ‘Oh, it’s Ramadan, because we have inflatables and our house has decorations everywhere.’ It helps them to be proud that they are different.”
Big-box retailers such as Target and Party City have been embracing Ramadan in recent years with indoor holiday supplies, from wall decorations to children’s books. Many Muslim Americans have enthusiastically embraced the stores’ nod to representation in return.
But for a growing number of small retailers and their Muslim customers, the celebration no longer stops at the front door. Outdoor displays that rival those that appear at Halloween or Christmas are now lighting up lawns during the Islamic holy month, which this year began on Feb. 17 in the United States.
Since launching her Muslim-oriented inflatables business in 2020, Basharat Rehman has seen sales increases for her displays for Ramadan and Eid, the holiday marking the end of the month of fasting.
Her New Traditions Store, based in Toronto, is one of several businesses in North America that sells inflatables worldwide in the shapes of mosques, a crescent and people holding up a “Ramadan Mubarak” banner. “There were a lot of parents out there that felt the same sort of void that we did,” said Rehman.
The concept is not without its critics, who say Muslims should not mimic non-Islamic holidays, but Rehman said those commentators likely don’t understand the challenges of raising Muslim children in a world where Christmas can overshadow the delights of other faiths.
“If we just tell our children Ramadan is just about praying and fasting, a child will not find that appealing,” she said. “You have to introduce it in a fun way in the beginning years, so that by the time they’re older, they can actually partake in the spiritual aspects of Ramadan.”
Some mosques across the country have also opted to hang lights or signs to mark the month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
Professional Christmas decorating companies have caught wind of the trend and are extending their season beyond December. Several lighting companies in Michigan, New Jersey and Illinois advertised services ahead of Ramadan this year.
In Livonia, Michigan, close to Detroit’s western suburbs and their densely Muslim neighborhoods, Martin Zoros, owner of Zoro’s Lights, said the more than 20 homes he has decorated for Ramadan so far is down from previous years, due to what he suspects are lean financial times.
But Nora Farhat, a Muslim who runs the Detroit-area company Wonderly Lights, said Muslim clients make up a slightly larger chunk of her business this year, at about 10%.
“It’s ironic. We are a proud Christmas lighting company. But actually we are proud Muslims that do holiday lights,” she said.
Farhat said interest in outdoor displays from both Muslim and non-Muslim families took off during the COVID-19 lockdowns, as outdoor lights, she said, offered joy to people spending holidays apart from their families.
In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Halal Metropolis, an organization in Dearborn, devised a Ramadan home lights competition as a way to maintain the “Ramadan spirit” during a time of isolation, according to organizers.
Since then, Farhat said more Muslim families have sought her services for string lights and displays, such as crescent-shaped wreaths in traditional Ramadan green.
“The same way a neighbor might decorate for Christmas, the neighbor next door is decorating for Ramadan. There is a really beautiful unity to it because we’re all doing it, just with our unique touches,” she said. “And when people are able to share their different beliefs and customs, I think it brings more beauty, and the lighting concept is a beautiful way to do that.”
The city of Dearborn, where the large Muslim population has sometimes been a flashpoint, has decorated its street lights with the crescent moons and stars for Ramadan. The display, commissioned by the city’s development authority, is the first of its kind in Dearborn, a spokesperson said.
“This initiative reflects who we are as a city,” said Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud in a statement. “Each season, we stand side-by-side to celebrate all of the traditions that make us special. It’s no wonder we continue to set new standards for holiday and cultural displays.”
Light Up Columbus, an Ohio company, created Dearborn’s designed custom Christmas and Ramadan displays. Since then, owner Chris Apfelstadt said mosques and a school have expressed interest in his work, which he said shows the importance of having holidays represented in a public way.
“Being on display is a big deal, and it brings people joy,” Apfelstadt said. “When we can bring people joy with lighting, we want to do that, and it doesn’t matter to us what the religion is, what the reason is.”
But for Muslims, the reason comes down to community. Randa Restum, a mother of two, said public recognition of Ramadan in Dearborn’s streets and schools has made it easier for her young children to practice some aspects of the holy month.
“It’s really important for them to just be proud of their culture and their religion,” said Restum, who paid Wonderly Lights to light up her Dearborn home this year. “I just want my kids to remember that it’s just a special time.”
But Husic, the Georgia mother, said it is also important that her displays spark conversations with curious neighbors who want to learn about her beliefs. “It just makes it even more special that my neighbors appreciate it,” she said.
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