RAMADAN, also known as Ramzan, is the holy month in the Islamic calendar which is observed for a period of 30 days. It is considered as one of the most important months of the Islamic calendar and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion. This year, the first day of Ramadan will be observed on March 22, when the moon is to be seen over Mecca, and conclude on Friday, April 21 with Eid-al-Fitr. The holy month of Ramzan is celebrated by Muslims across the world by observing a strict fast from dawn to dusk, reciting prayers, reading the holy book of Quran, practising charity and much more.
Ramadan 2023: Start And End Date
Ramadan Begins: March 22, Wednesday
Ramadan Ends: April 21, Friday
Laylat al-Qadr: April 17, Monday
Eid al-Fitr Start: April 22, Saturday
Ramadan 2023: Significance Of Moon Sighting
The sighting of the moon denotes the beginning and end of the sacred month of Ramzan. The ritual of moon sighting holds great religious significance and is extremely crucial, unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Muslim calendar follows the lunar cycle and is a lunar calendar. While the Hijri calendar has 12 months, they are alternately 30 and 29 days long. Therefore, Ramadan month is preceded by the month of Shaaban. It begins after the sunset of day 29 of the Shaaban month and ends with the beginning of the Shawwal month.
Ramadan 2023: Moon Sighting In India And Other Important Countries
The Ramzan moon sighting in India may take place on 22 March 2023. In other countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Muslim dominant countries, the Ramadan moon sighting may be held on Tuesday, 21 March. If the crescent moon is sighted on 21 March (29th day of Sha'ban 1444 Hijri) after Salat al Maghrib, the first day of Ramadan will be observed on March 22. However, if the moon is not sighted, the first day of Ramadan will be observed on March 23.
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As per the Crescent Moon Watch, a moon tracker run by the United Kingdom’s Nautical Almanac Office, Ramadan 2023 crescent is likely to be sighted on March 21 at 17:23 GMT (8:23pm Mecca time) while on the night of March 22, the Ramadan crescent moon should be easily visible to the naked eye across many parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Western Europe and the United States of America. Hence, the first fasting day is expected to be March 23 for those countries.