NEW YORK: Twitter, the social media giant is celebrating the Islamic holy month with the release of two brand new hashflags and an easy way of figuring out when to break the daily fast, according to a US newspaper.

Twitter users who tweet with the hashtags #Ramadan and #Eid will see a crescent moon and Arabic lettering pop up in their messages, the company announced in a blog posting late on Friday.

Adherents are increasingly turning to social media to share their experience of the fast.

In 2013, users sent more than 74.2 million tweets about Ramazan from around the globe, according to Twitter’s research.

A popular phrase, especially in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was “May you be in good health.” “Prayer” is another highly-mentioned word during the month, with the most tweets getting sent from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

In the United States, users often tweeted about how hungry or thirsty they are during the long fast from sunrise to sunset.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2014