During the month of Ramadan, most Muslims around the world are fasting from sunrise to sunset. Although, why are they fasting all day? Why does the date change every year? What even is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the month that Muslims believe was when the Prophet Muhammad had the first verses of the Qur'an revealed to him. To celebrate the reveal of their holy book, Muslims fast in order to push tasks like eating and drinking aside to get closer to their faith and Allah.
The date of Ramadan changes every year, since holy dates in Islam use the Lunar calendar. According to this calendar, each month lasts about 29-30 days, and there are 11 fewer days than the solar calendar (the calendar the world uses) — so the date of Ramadan fluctuates. This is why it is predicted that in 2030, Ramadan will occur twice in one year!
Fasting is an essential part of Ramadan. Those who have reached puberty and who are physically capable will be participating in fasting from dawn until sunset (fajr and maghrib) for 29-30 days. The fast is broken with Eid al-Fir, which in Arabic means “festival of breaking the fast,”,” and it includes spending time with family and friends, giving gifts, enjoying feasts of traditional food, giving to the less fortunate, and more.
This year, fasting will start on the sunset of March 22, 2023, and it will end on the evening of April 21.
SOURCES:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramadan