Last year, for example, Ramadan took place from April 12 to May 12. The date Ramadan starts depends on the appearance and sighting of the new moon, so it will also vary slightly year to year. Because an Islamic year is 354 or 355 days, Ramadan will shift slightly backward each year, beginning 10 or 11 days earlier. The holy month of Ramadan begins every year at the start of the ninth lunar month on the Muslim calendar. Your friends, neighbors, community members and fellow humans observe this Muslim holy time every year, but how much do you really know about Ramadan and what it means to its people? From Ramadan traditions and recipes to Ramadan dates this year, here’s everything you need to know about this holy month and those who celebrate it.
While Muslims use Ramadan to contemplate their connection to God, engage in extra prayer, and perform increased acts of generosity and charity, they also spend this spiritually-charged time reconnecting with their families and celebrating life. It’s called Ramadan, and it’s a crucial part of life for at least 24 percent of the world’s population.įrom sunrise to sundown each day of this sacred time, 1.8 billion people in every corner of the globe will forego food, drink and worldly indulgences in favor of a deep reflection of their fragile humanity. It’s celebrated in the Middle East and North Africa, in the Asia-Pacific region and East Asia, in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and right here in America. It’s observed in more than 50 Muslim-majority countries and numerous other nations across the globe. In Arabic, it means “festival of breaking the fast”.ĭepending on the new moon sighting, Eid al-Fitr this year is likely to fall on May 2.Every year on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar cycle, there’s a subtle stirring of anticipation as millions of Muslims around the world prepare to fast, feast and celebrate their beliefs during the holiest month on the Muslim calendar. Last year, fasting across the world ranged from 10 to 20 hours a day.Īt the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr. “Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are common greetings exchanged in this period, wishing the recipient a blessed and generous month respectively. Languages from various Muslim majority nations have a personalised greeting in their native languages. In many Muslim-majority countries, working hours are reduced, and many restaurants are closed during fasting hours. The fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations to achieve greater “taqwa”, or consciousness of God.įasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca if physically and financially capable. Throughout the month, observing Muslims fast from just before the sunrise, or Fajr, prayer to the sunset prayer, Maghrib. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago. If the new moon is not visible, the month lasts 30 days. Lunar months last between 29 and 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon on the 29th night of each month. The actual visibility of the crescent will depend on factors such as atmospheric conditions, cloudiness and the distance between the sun and the moon on the horizon. On April 2, the moon will be easily visible in most parts of the world. On that day, the moon might be visible in parts of North, Central, and South America. When can we see the new moon? (Al Jazeera)Īccording to Crescent Moon Watch, a moon tracker run by the United Kingdom’s Nautical Almanac Office, Ramadan’s new moon will arrive on April 1 at 06:24 GMT. Other countries have independent sightings, but Indonesia, Lebanon, Morocco and Syria are also likely to begin fasting starting Saturday, while countries further east and west will commence as the moon is sighted. (Al Jazeera)īahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are all expected to follow Saudi Arabia’s sighting of the new moon.
#Ramadan first day 2022 full#
This year will see the return of pilgrims in full numbers for the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, as Saudi Arabia lifted most restrictions just ahead of Ramadan. To establish the beginning of Ramadan, which is determined by the sighting of the new moon, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries rely on the testimonies of moon sighters. The first day of fasting for the holy month of Ramadan is likely to be Saturday, April 2.
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