My hubby introduced us to these fresh dates when he worked in South Africa previously. According to him, in the Middle East and South African countries, dates are sold in different stages of ripeness. The unripe dates in the Arabic name is called "kimri". My hubby likes best the ripeness shown in the pictures below, it is known as "khalal", meaning crunchy. Khalal, the best one is cultivated in Saudi the unripe fruits do not give a bitter after taste. It is sweet and crunchy.
In a approximately a week, these dates will ripen to become "rutab", ie ripe and soft. You will notice at the top left corner of the pic, one of the dates has ripen to become"rutab", this ripeness is my favourite as it is neither too sweet or bitter. Most of the dates sold in supermarket and Ramadan market today are "tamar" which means ripe and dried. The flesh is very soft, sweet and sticky.
As with Chinese we have mandarin oranges as festive fruits, Muslims have he dates as their festive fruits. It is common practice for the Muslims to break the fast by consuming these fruits. The fruits are packed with good nutrients and fruits sugar therefore it is believed that it will replenish the lost energy when ones are fasting. 
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