Ramadan Start Date

Ramadan: the 9th Month of the Islamic Calendar

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri (Islamic) calendar. That calendar is purely lunar, running ~354 days a year, roughly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. There's no leap month to pull it back into step with the solar cycle, so Ramadan drifts back ~11 days every Gregorian year and works its way through all four seasons over a span of about 33 years.

Through the month, some ~1.8 billion Muslims keep the sawm: fasting from dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib), going without food, drink, smoking and intimate relations. The meal taken before dawn is the suhoor, and the fast is broken at sunset with the iftar. It all closes with Eid al‑Fitr, a major festival built around prayer, charity (Zakat al‑Fitr) and time with family.

Applications

It helps Muslim families and mosques plan the iftar and Tarawih prayers. Employers and schools use it to adjust schedules, halal restaurants to prepare, and travelers and event organizers to keep the religious calendar in mind. International companies lean on it when coordinating with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey and other Muslim‑majority markets.

FAQ

Why isn’t the start of Ramadan a fixed date? The Hijri calendar is strictly lunar, and tradition calls for an actual sighting of the new crescent moon (hilal). That's why different countries can start a day or so apart.

Who decides the official start? The call comes from authorities like the Umm al‑Qura calendar in Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s Dar al‑Ifta and various local committees, who announce the date from a moon sighting or an astronomical calculation.

Who is exempt from fasting? Children, the elderly, the seriously ill, pregnant or nursing women, travelers and menstruating women don't have to fast. Many of them make up the days later or pay fidyah.