Ramadan 2023: Here's all you need to know about the most awaited and auspicious festivals of the Muslims

The arrival of Ramadan, also known as Ramzan or Ramazan, marks the most propitious time of the year for Muslims worldwide. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is celebrated with great splendor and is regarded as a period of hope, prayer, fasting, reflection, and community. During this holy month, individuals of the Islamic faith renounce worldly pleasures, eschew extravagant behavior and spending, and observe the fast or Roza with their friends and family.

The Ramadan fast is a significant pillar of Islam, and the month is considered a time of blessings, forgiveness, and spiritual rejuvenation. Muslims wake up early for Suhoor or Sehri, then abstain from food and drink until sunset. They break their fast with dates and water, followed by Iftar, a meal featuring a variety of delicacies.

Muslims eagerly await Ramadan as an opportunity to strengthen their faith through prayer, recitation of the Quran, and other spiritual practices. The onset of the Holy month is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon on Monday, which marks the beginning of a lunar cycle. The Islamic calendar has 354 days, so Ramadan falls 10 or 11 days earlier each year than the solar Georgian calendar used by the rest of the world.

Ramadan 2023 timings

According to Crescent Moon Watch, which is managed by the United Kingdom’s Nautical Almanac Office, the Ramadan 2023 crescent will be visible on March 21 at 17:23 GMT (8:23pm Mecca time), while the Ramadan crescent moon should be visible to the naked eye in many parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Western Europe, and the United States of America on the night of March 22. Thus, the first day of fasting for these nations is anticipated to be March 23.

It is possible that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia will spot the Ramadan crescent moon on March 22, hence their first day of fasting will be March 23. If unsuccessful in doing so, India and other South Asian countries' initial day of fasting would shift to March 24.