RIYADH — As people prepare to observe Ramadan during the current special circumstances, Twitter has already monitored 17 million tweets about Ramadan in the month leading into the holy month, a 70% increase in conversation since last year.

To celebrate Ramadan, Twitter has launched three new hashtag triggered emojis across seven languages; English, Arabic, Malay, Thai, Indonesian, Hindi and Spanish. The following Arabic and English hashtags will unlock a crescent moon:

• رمضان#
• رمضان_كريم#
• رمضان_مبارك#
• #Ramadan
• #RamadanKareem
• #RamadanMubarak

The second emoji, a lantern, will be unlocked with the below hashtags:

• #فانوس
• #فانوس_رمضان
• #فوانيس_رمضان
• #فوانيس
• #RamadanLanterns
• #RamadanLantern

As for the last emoji, the following hashtags will unlock a bowl of dates and glass of laban:

• #افطار_رمضان
• #افطار
• #إفطاراً_شهياً
• #إفطار_رمضان
• #إفطار
• #فطور_رمضان
• #فطور
• #سحور
• #سحور_رمضان
• IftarRamadan#
• #Iftar
• #Suhur
• #SuhurRamadan
• #Suhoor
• #Sahur
• #Suhour

From faith, to food and entertainment, people on Twitter are coming together to discuss the topics that matter most to them during the upcoming month. With both Saudi Arabia and Egypt amongst the top ten countries Tweeting globally, here are some of this year’s highlights from the lead-up to Ramadan:

The top countries within the MENA region discussing Ramadan were:

1. Saudi Arabia
2. Egypt
3. Kuwait
4. United Arab Emirates
5. Oman

The symbol that is used to send salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was Tweeted almost 4 million times. The top countries Tweeting it include:

1. Indonesia
2. Malaysia
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Turkey
5. United States of America
6. Egypt

Top Ramadan-related emojis:

1. (A crescent moon)
2. (Folded hands )
3. (Palms held up together)

While the top Ramadan-related hashtags globally:

1. رمضان#
2. #oruç (Turkish for fast)
3. #ramadan

Islamic preacher Mustafa Hosny (@mustafahosny) was the most mentioned public figure in Arabic language conversations, engaging with followers through Ramadan-related content such as the below Tweet about Hag Al Laila.

Food has long been a key topic of interest for people in Ramadan. Here are the dishes that have been generating the increasing interest from people across the Twitter:

1. حلا (dessert)
2. معجنات (pastries)
3. سلطات (salads)
4. شوربات (soups)
5. صواني (trays/platters)
6. موالح (mixed nuts)

As well as the top food-related hashtags:

1. #وجبات (meals)
2. #وجبات_الخير (charity meals)
3. #طبخ (cooking)
4. #دايت (diet)
5. #رجيم (healthy diet)
6. #صحة (health)

In the entertainment sphere, actress and singer, Amel Bouchoucha (@amelbouchoucha) was the most mentioned entertainment personality, who will be playing a role in the new Ramadan TV series النحات (The Sculptor). In the lead-up to their respective Ramadan series, Egyptian actor Asser Yassin (@AsserYassin) and Lebanese singer actress Cyrine Abdelnour (@CyrineAbdlNour) were amongst the most active entertainment personalities on the platform.

New shows generated engagement across Twitter in anticipation of their release, with the following boasting the most used series related hashtags:

1. #سكر_زيادة (Extra Sugar) - MBC

2. #النحات (The Sculptor) - Abu Dhabi TV

3. #خيانة_عهد (The Broken Agreement) – CBC. — SG