Ramadan 2025: When does it start and everything else you need to know
For Muslims across the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time for religious reflection, increased worship, charity and community.
Observant Muslims abstain from all forms of food and drink between the hours of dawn and sunset whilst trying to reconnect with their faith.
Here, Middle East Eye answers some of the most asked questions about the holy month.
What is Ramadan and why do Muslims fast?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and amongst the most sacred for Muslims.
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During the month, Muslims are expected to fast if they are healthy and able to do so.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and forms a core part of the religion. The other pillars are the declaration of faith, prayer, giving charity and going on the Hajj pilgrimage.
Muslims believe that through fasting they are able to strengthen their relationship with God. Time is spent participating in acts of worship, such as praying, reading the Quran and giving charity.
Abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours allows Muslims to practise willpower and focus their energy on working on their faith.
Fasting also allows Muslims to empathise with those who are less fortunate, and be more compassionate to those in need.
There are numerous ways a fast can be invalidated, including intentionally eating or drinking, intercourse and smoking. A woman cannot fast if she is menstruating.
One question most Muslims get asked during Ramadan (alongside the infamous gasp of "not even water?") is what happens if you eat or drink by mistake? Can you not just take a sneaky swig when no one is looking?
Eating or drinking intentionally invalidates your fast, as the purpose of Ramadan is to practise self-restraint and engage in religious acts.
However, eating or drinking, if it is done through a genuine mistake, does not nullify your fast: followers can continue fasting as normal.
Why does the date of Ramadan change each year?
Islam adheres to the lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted.
The lunar calendar is 10 to 11 days shorter than the modern 365-day Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth's rotation around the sun.
This difference means Ramadan begins on a different day each year.
In Muslim-majority countries, dedicated state committees check for the crescent moon and officially announce the start of Ramadan.
Meanwhile in non-Muslim majority countries, there are different approaches: some Muslims follow a national mosque or reputable Islamic authority, whilst others follow the decision taken by Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or India.
When will it start this year?
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Gulf countries sighted the crescent moon on 28 February and declared 1 March as the first day of Ramadan.
This means that the month of fasting will likely end on either Saturday 29 March or Sunday 30 March, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month.
This means Eid al-Fitr is likely to fall on either Sunday 30 March or Monday 31 March.
Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking of the fast, marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.
How long will Muslims be fasting for this year?
The length of each day's fast varies from place to place, depending on the number of daylight hours. It also varies with the time of year.
Take northern Norway: if Ramadan falls one year in December, then each day's fast will be very short due to the limited amount of daylight near the North Pole at this time.
However, the hours of fasting will increase in the same place during the summer, when there is near-perpetual daylight. In such circumstances there are rulings that allow for the local Muslim population to follow the hours of the nearest Muslim country or Mecca, home to Islam's holiest site, in Saudi Arabia.
Typically, each day of fasting can be as short as 11 hours or as long as 20 hours.
Muslims in the UK, for instance those in London, can expect to fast 13-14 hours, while in Ottawa, Canada they will be fasting more than 14 hours, whereas in South Africa fasting time will be about 12 hours
How do Muslims prepare for Ramadan?
Every family prepares for Ramadan differently. It is often a time for family and friends to get together.
Many will host iftars - the meal which breaks the fast at the end of the day - at home and invite friends. Mosques typically host open iftars when anybody can come by and eat.
Many Muslims try to break bad habits before the start of Ramadan, to ease themselves into the month, prepare spiritually and take part in more charitable acts.
What happens on a typical day during Ramadan?
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims will wake before the sun rises to eat a pre-dawn meal called suhoor. They will then not eat or drink until sunset, when they will have iftar.
Iftar is followed by optional nightly prayers, known as tarawih, which go on into the night, if not into the early hours of the morning.
Prayers usually take place at the mosque in large congregations but Muslims have the option to pray at home too.
What are some key Ramadan traditions?
Each day’s fast is typically broken by eating dates, which follows the tradition of the prophet.
After this, people will pray Maghrib - one of the five daily prayers - and then sit down to eat.
In many parts of the Middle East, neighbourhoods are decorated with traditional lanterns and banners to welcome the holy month.
In some countries, such as Egypt and Turkey, a musaharati will go down the streets with a drum to wake people for the pre-dawn meal.
What else are Muslims expected to do during Ramadan?
Throughout the holy month, Muslims are expected to engage in charitable acts, one of which is the obligatory zakat al-fitr, which is given at the end of Ramadan but before the Eid prayer (see below).
The significance of the donation is to cleanse the donor from any shortcomings conducted during the month and provide food for the needy.
This payment is different to the zakat, which can be given at any time of year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and equates to 2.5 percent of a full year's savings.
In many Middle Eastern countries, Ramadan is prime time for the year's best TV series, showcasing the most dramatic storylines and top celebrities, capitalising on the time people spend waiting for iftar.
However, many people choose the holy month to reduce the hours spent on entertainment, preferring instead to focus on studying the Quran.
The last 10 days of Ramadan are especially revered, with a focus on intense worship, as the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during this period, which is known as Laylat al-Qadr, Arabic for "night of decree" or "night of power".
As the prophet never specified the exact date of the night, Muslims use those 10 days to increase their spirituality by reading and studying the Quran.
The sacredness of Laylat al-Qadr is mentioned in the Quran, where it states that Laylat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
Worshippers believe that praying with sincerity will allow their previous sins to be forgiven
Some Muslims choose to live and sleep in a mosque during this period - known as i'tikaaf - to focus on increasing their religious knowledge, staying in separate parts according to gender.
What happens at the end of Ramadan?
At the end of the holy month there is a three-day celebration known as Eid al-Fitr or, more commonly, Eid.
Families will typically wake up early to go and pray in the mosque and greet friends, family and others in the community.
It is a time of food and festivities, when young children receive presents and homes are decorated to mark the occasion.
Others also use the occasion to visit graveyards and pay their respects to loved ones who have passed away.
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