The start of Ramadan is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and is expected in Saudi Arabia the evening of February 28th, meaning the Ramadan month of fasting and reflection would begin Saturday, March 1.
Close to 25% of the world’s population is Muslim, with an estimated total of approximately 1.9 billion. Muslims are the majority in 49 countries, they speak hundreds of languages and come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Because they span the globe, the crescent moon sighting may be different in Indonesia, for example, than in Saudi Arabia.
Also, because the Muslim calendar year is lunar based and shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle.
According to Scott Kugle of the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory University in Atlanta and author of Hajj to the Heart: Sufi Journeys across the Indian Ocean, the variability of the crescent moon sighting is, “really important for Westerners to understand in that there really is no central authority among Muslims… It’s all very local, depends on what mosque you go to, what your family network is. People in North America who have family back in India, let’s say, or Pakistan may start fasting in North America when their families back in Pakistan or India start fasting.”
The fasting experience is significantly impacted by where you live on the globe. Those near the equator can anticipate roughly 12 hours of fasting and 12 hours of darkness whenever the Ramadan season occurs. Closer to either pole and there are extreme swings in daylight hours depending on when in the year Ramadan occurs.
In Saudi Arabia, mosques have been preparing for months and streets and public spaces across the kingdom have been adorned with festive decorations of illuminating crescents and lanterns. The Ministry of Culture will host “Ramadan Season 1446 AH” in cities across Saudi Arabia. It will feature cultural and community events highlighting Ramadan’s heritage and Saudi traditions under the slogan “Our Nights Have Returned.”
The typical workday will also be altered. the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) has announced that private sector workers will work six hours per day (36 hours per week) for the duration of Ramadan. Depending on the industry or company, non-Muslim employees will work regular hours.
Public sector workers will work from 10am to 3pm, five hours per day.
The timing of Suhoor, the meal most Muslims partake in before sunrise each day and just prior to the Fajr prayer time, will transition from about 4:48am to 4:18am over the course of this Ramadan.
The timing of Iftar, when families and friends gather to break the fast, will transition from about 5:50pm to 6:09pm over the course of this Ramadan.
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