Ramadan 2019 begins on May 5 and ends on June 4. Ramadan is always the 9th month in the Islamic calendar but as the calendar is lunar, the dates change every year. Muslims believe Ramadan is the month that God revealed the first verses of the Koran. To mark the holy month members of the Islamic Faith abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset.
The start of Ramadan is marked by the rising of the crescent moon and ends when the Shawwal moon is sighted.
The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a festival known as Eid al-Fitr.
Iftar is the evening meal Muslims eat to end their Ramadan fast.
Iftar is eaten at sunset so the time Iftar is held varies from country to country depending on daylight hours.
What time is Iftar during Ramadan this year?
Iftar UK
In the UK this year the Ramadan fast starts from around 20 minutes before 3am and ends at around 9pm.
This means Iftar is around 8.30pm in the UK.
On May 6 the fast starts at 3.41am and ends at 8.34pm with Iftar.
Iftar USA
In the USA Ramadan fasting starts at around 5am and ends at around 7.33pm.
So Iftar in New York is held at around 7.30pm this Ramadan.
Iftar Australia
In Sydney Australia Ramadan fasting starts at around 5am.
Iftar is held shortly after 5pm in Sydney.
Iftar Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia Ramadan fasting starts at around 4.30am this year.
Iftar in Saudi Arabia is held shortly before 7pm.
You can find a full list of Iftar times by location HERE.
How many hours is Ramadan?
Ramadan is approximately 720 hours long in total.
The holy period lasts for four weeks and two days.
Most Muslims fast for 11–16 hours during Ramadan – depending on where in the world they are based.
In polar regions, for example, the period between dawn and sunset may exceed 22 hours in summers, which means Muslims living in those regions fast for far longer.