• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Dubai
  • Beijing
  • SG
rotating globe
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Dubai
  • Beijing
  • SG


Mar 23, 2023, 9:12am EDT

In pictures: Ramadan around the world

A vendor arranges decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Amman, Jordan, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Muath Freij
REUTERS/Muath Freij
TweetEmailWhatsapp

Sign up for Semafor Flagship: The daily global news briefing you can trust. Read it now.

Title icon

The Scene

Millions of Muslims around the world began the first day of dawn-to-dusk fasting to mark the holy month of Ramadan, which ends with the celebration of Eid.

Here’s a look at how the moment is being observed globally:

1. Women pray at Jakarta’s Great Mosque of Istiqlal

AD
Muslim women attend mass prayers known as 'Tarawih' during the first evening of holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Great Mosque of Istiqlal in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Observers in this photo are attending Tarawih prayers, an evening prayer marked every day only during the month of Ramadan.

2. People watch for the new moon in Najaf, Iraq

People look through binoculars and a telescope to view the moon ahead of Ramadan to mark the beginning of the holy fasting month, in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

Ramadan begins in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the lunar cycle, when the new crescent moon is sighted in the sky. It lasts either 29 or 30 days, and the timing of Ramadan changes annually.

AD

3. Observers read the Quran at the Grand Mosque in Sanaa, Yemen

People read the Quran at the Grand Mosque ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Muslims believe that the text of the Quran began to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan.

4. Muslims gather for prayer in Indonesia

AD
Muslims offer 'Tarawih' mass prayers during the first evening of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Al-Jabbar mosque in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, March 22, 2023, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Novrian Arbi/ via REUTERS
Antara Foto/Novrian Arbi/via REUTERS

During the dawn-to-dusk fast Muslims do not eat or drink anything, including water. They have a pre-dawn meal and break the fast at sunset with an evening meal known as iftar, or fitoor.

5. A vendor sets up a display of traditional lanterns

A vendor arranges decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Amman, Jordan, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Muath Freij
REUTERS/Muath Freij

Lanterns are a fixture in Muslim households during Ramadan, and are believed to have originated in Egypt.

6. A Ramadan display is installed for the first time in London

First ever Ramadan lights installation at Piccadilly Circus is pictured on the eve of the first day of Ramadan, in London, Britain, March 21 2023. Anna Gordon/REUTERS
Anna Gordon/REUTERS

Ramadan, a period that prioritizes giving and charity, has seen observers note that households may face more difficulty than usual this year as many in the Global South are impacted by the high cost of food and goods.

7. A Palestinian man paints ceramics

A Palestinian draws on ceramic utensils at a Palestinian shop ahead of Ramadan in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Ramadan will end when the next outgoing crescent moon is sighted, in approximately 28 days. Muslims will then celebrate Eid al-Fitr and the end of fasting with the first sighting of the new moon.

Semafor Logo
AD