When does Ramadan begin in 2019?

Find out when Ramadan an, observed by millions of Muslim who fast form dawn to dusk, will likely begin in your country

he first day of Ramadan is observed according to the local visibility of the new crescent moon [File: Reuters]

RAMADAN 2019

• Ramadan likely to begin on May 5 evening with May 6 being the first day of fasting
• Festival of Eid-al Fitr likely to be celebrated on June 4 in most places 
• Last year, Ramadan began in most Arab nations on May 17, a day after Turkey

In most Arab nations, the first day of fasting for the holy month of Ramadan, which is determined by the sighting of the new moon, is likely to be May 6 (Monday).

Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court called on all Muslims to look for the crescent moon signalling the start of Ramadan and for those who see it with the naked eyes or through the binoculars to inform the nearest court, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Qatar, Indonesia, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and many other Muslim nations are likely to begin observing the holy month starting Monday.

In the United States and Europe, Muslim communities rely on astronomical calculations and are likely to observe Ramadan from Sunday evening, with Monday being the first day of fasting.

Holy month

For Muslims, Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran, Islam's holy book, were revealed to Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.

During the holy month, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to sunset. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the sufferings of the less fortunate.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

In Muslim-majority countries, offices are required by law to reduce working hours, and many restaurants are closed during the daylight hours.

"Ramadan Mubarak" and "Ramadan Kareem" are common greetings exchanged in this period, wishing the recipient a blessed and generous month respectively.  

Last year, fasting hours across the world ranged from 10 to  21 hours. 

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Eid al-Fitr in Arabic means "festival of breaking the fast".

Depending on the actual start date of Ramadan and the new moon sighting on the 29th night of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr this year is likely to fall on June 4.