Here’s what it’s like to observe the monthlong fast of Ramadan

SOUTH JORDAN — The South Jordan home is painted a bright turquoise, but the vibrant color is indistinguishable in the dark, early morning. The house lights are the only ones illuminated on the street.

Inside lives the Kariparduc family. They’ve awoken at 3:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, then begin a fast that starts when the sun rises and ends when it goes back down. This fast, known as Ramadan, is a 30-day Islamic religious practice during which observers do not eat or drink while the sun is in the sky.

“There are many, many different reasons that we fast. For me, most important thing is we realize greatness of God,” said Zeynep Kariparduc, the matriarch of the family.