Yom Kippur vs. Ramadan

I realize that the Jews are not the only ones celebrating a religious holiday involving fasting this month, so in the interest of multiculturalism and equal time, we now compare Yom Kippur with Ramadan and examine which we'd rather have to celebrate.

DURATION
Yom Kippur is a 25-hour holiday -- you give it a day and your good for a year. Ramadan lasts an entire month. Advantage: Yom Kippur.

INTENSITY
Yom Kippur involves complete abstinence for 25 hours -- not just food and drink, but also tobacco, sexual relations, and for the most observant, luxuries such as electricity, leather clothing, and bathing. The prohibitions for Ramadan aren't quite as strict, and in any case, just wait for sundown and you're off the hook. Advantage: Ramadan.

DAILY LIFE
Jewish communities shut down entirely for Yom Kippur, and even those Jews in non-Jewish communities take the entire day off. A healthy portion of the fast is spent in synagogue, where you can't think about or be tempted by food, and much of the rest of the day is spent asleep. As for Ramadan, Muslims still go to work during the day. Business hours are reduced in the Arab world, but in the non-Arab world, it's business as usual with little accomodation for the holiday. Furthermore, Muslims must wake up before dawn each day to chow down before beginning the fast. It gets tiresome after a full month. Advantage: Yom Kippur.

VARIABILITY
Yom Kippur always falls in September or October, and since the fast runs from dusk one day until darkness the next, the duration is always fixed. Ramadan migrates through the secular calendar, meaning that if you catch it during the summer, you're looking at 16-hour fasts. And if you happen to live somewhere like London, which has very late sunsets during the summer, then may Allah have mercy on your stomach, because you'll be ravenous. Advantage: Yom Kippur.

BREAKING FAST
The Yom Kippur breakfast is one of the most anticipated and celebratory moments of the entire Jewish year. But what Jews get to do once, Muslims get to do 30 straight days. Advantage: Ramadan.

By a final score of 3-2, Yom Kippur is the holiday I'd rather celebrate. No offense to all the Muslims in the audience, because while you have my infinite respect for going through what you go through for an entire month each year, I do not envy you in the least.