Ramadan 2025: All you need to know about ‘month of blessings’
The table clock shows 6 p.m. indicating iftar with blurred background of a Muslim man's hand praying. (Adobe Stock Photo)
The fasting period from sunrise to sunset ranges from 11.5 to 17.5 hours, based on your location around the globe.
The Islamic sacred month of Ramadan is set to begin either on Saturday, Feb. 28, or Sunday, March 1, depending on the observation of the new lunar moon.
The fasting period, from sunrise to sunset, can vary between 11.5 to 17.5 hours, depending on the geographical location.
Muslims believe that Ramadan marks the time when the first revelations of the Quran were made to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) over 1,400 years ago.
Observing the fast involves staying away from consuming food and beverages, smoking, and refraining from bad deeds during the daylight hours as a means to attain a heightened sense of “taqwa.”
Why does Ramadan start on different dates every year?
Ramadan begins approximately 10 to 12 days earlier annually due to the reliance on the lunar-based Hijri calendar, where months span either 29 or 30 days.
Given the discrepancy of 11 days between the lunar and solar years, Ramadan is projected to begin twice in 2030—first on Jan. 5 and again on Dec. 26.
The subsequent instance of Ramadan starting post-March 10 is projected to occur in 33 years, precisely in 2058.
Fasting hours around the world
The duration of daylight varies globally. Muslims residing in southern regions, like New Zealand or Chile, will fast for around 11.5 hours, whereas those in northern regions, such as Greenland or Finland, will have fasts lasting up to 17.5 hours.
For Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere, fasting hours will gradually decrease until 2032 when Ramadan aligns with the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year.
Subsequently, fasting hours will lengthen until the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, fasting hours will follow the opposite trend.
In extremely northern locales like Longyearbyen in Norway, where the sun remains visible from April 20 to Aug. 22, religious authorities have advised Muslims to follow the fasting schedule of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, or the nearest Muslim-majority country.
Cities with longest fasting hours
The following cities will have some of the longest fasting hours in Ramadan 2025:
- Helsinki, Finland: 17.5 hours
- Nuuk, Greenland: 17 hours
- Glasgow, Scotland: 16.5 hours
- Ottawa, Canada: 16.5 hours
- Zurich, Switzerland: 16.5 hours
- Rome, Italy: 16.5 hours
- Madrid, Spain: 16 hours
- London, United Kingdom: 16 hours
- Paris, France: 15.5 hours
- Reykjavik, Iceland: 15 hours
Cities with shortest fasting hours
The following cities will have some of the shortest fasting hours in Ramadan 2025:
- Christchurch, New Zealand: 11.5 hours
- Puerto Montt, Chile: 11.5 hours
- Karachi, Pakistan: 12 hours
- Buenos Aires, Argentina: 12 hours
- Cape Town, South Africa: 12.5 hours
- New Delhi, India: 12.5 hours
- Jakarta, Indonesia: 12.5 hours
- Dubai, UAE: 13 hours
- Nairobi, Kenya: 13 hours
When is Eid al-Fitr?
After Ramadan, Muslims will observe Eid al-Fitr, the “celebration of ending the fast.” Eid al-Fitr, a three-day festival, is anticipated to begin on either March 30 or March 31, depending on the sighting of the moon in the new month.
