Sunday, July 7, 2013

WHEN IS RAMADAN

For some of us it is important to know when is Ramadan in order that we can plan special tours for groups during this holy month..

Ramadan in 2013 will start on Tuesday, the 9th of July and will continue for 30 days until Wednesday, the 7th of August.

Based on sightability of the new moon in Malaysia Ramadan will start a day later - on Wednesday, the 10th of July.

It is important to note that in the Muslim calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan on the sunset of Monday, the 8th of July.

Although Ramadan is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This difference means Ramadan moves in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The date of Ramadan may also vary from country to country depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

The dates provided are based on the dates adopted by the Fiqh Council of Malaysia for the celebration of Ramadan. Note that these dates are based on astronomical calculations to affirm each date, and not on the actual sighting of the moon with the naked eyes. This approach is accepted by many, but is still being hotly debated.

In Malaysia Ramadan packages are still confined to "majlis berbuka puasa". Hotels are offering special buka puasa packages which ae very popular especially at the tail end of the month.

In Indonesia hotels offer special room packages in the month of Ramadan which include buka puasa and sahur.

No comments:

Post a Comment