EXPLAINER
The dawn-to-dusk quick lasts anyplace from 11.5 to fifteen.5 hours, relying on the place on the planet you might be.
Printed On 15 Feb 2026
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is ready to start on February 18 or 19, relying on the sighting of the crescent moon.
In the course of the month, which lasts 29 or 30 days, Muslims observing the quick will chorus from consuming and consuming from daybreak to nightfall, sometimes for a interval of 12 to fifteen hours, relying on their location.
Muslims consider Ramadan is the month when the primary verses of the Quran have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad greater than 1,400 years in the past.
The quick entails abstinence from consuming, consuming, smoking and sexual relations throughout daylight to realize larger “taqwa”, or consciousness of God.
Why does Ramadan begin on completely different dates yearly?
Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier annually. It’s because the Islamic calendar is predicated on the lunar Hijri calendar, with months which can be 29 or 30 days lengthy.
For almost 90 % of the world’s inhabitants dwelling within the Northern Hemisphere, the variety of fasting hours will probably be a bit shorter this yr and can proceed to lower till 2031, when Ramadan will embody the winter solstice, the shortest day of the yr.
For fasting Muslims dwelling south of the equator, the variety of fasting hours will probably be longer than final yr.
As a result of the lunar yr is shorter than the photo voltaic yr by 11 days, Ramadan will probably be noticed twice within the yr 2030 – first starting on January 5 after which beginning on December 26.
Fasting hours all over the world
The variety of daylight varies the world over.
Since it’s winter within the Northern Hemisphere, this Ramadan, individuals dwelling there can have the shortest fasts, lasting about 12 to 13 hours on the primary day, with the period rising all through the month.
Individuals in southern international locations like Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa can have the longest fasts, lasting about 14 to fifteen hours on the primary day. Nonetheless, the variety of fasting hours will lower all through the month.
Fasting occasions all over the world
The desk beneath reveals the variety of fasting hours, suhoor and iftar occasions on the primary and final days of Ramadan 2026. Use the arrows or search field to seek out your metropolis.
Ramadan greetings in several languages
Muslim-majority nations have varied greetings of their native languages for Ramadan.
“Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are the commonest greetings exchanged on this interval, wishing the recipient a blessed or beneficiant month, respectively.
