After Ramadan, the next month - Shawwal - starts with the festivities of Eid al-Fitr.

It can tough to prepare for, given that the dates aren't known until a day or two beforehand because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, as the Birmingham Mail reports.

The Islamic calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, but the Gregorian calendar largely used in the western world is based on the sun.

Because the two calendars don’t align exactly, the Islamic dates move back by 11 days a year.

Some organisations and communities base their calendar on the sighting of the very first crescent (hilal) of the new moon, using the naked eye.

But others use astronomical charts, and these different methods can lead to variations of one, two or three days in the dates observed by different Muslim communities around the world.

In Saudi Arabia, the Institute of Astronomical & Geophysical Research of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) uses modern science to work out the Umm al-Qura calendar, which is used by the country’s government for setting the date of its policies, events and other civic matters.

That calendar is also used by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) and the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR).

In contrast, the religious authorities in Saudi Arabia still base their decisions on the first sighting of the lunar crescent but they do consider amateur reports from casual observers.

However, astronomers claim there have probably been many wrong decisions in the past that were most likely based on false sightings of a bright star or planet (such as Venus) or even the vapour trail from a plane.

So what are the predicted dates of these events for 2018?

Ramadan 2018

The first day of the month of fasting will be Wednesday, May 16, 2018, based on astronomical charts, and subject to a moon sighting close to that time.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

The earlier date means that Ramadan is set to be finished before the longest day of the year.

But it still falls within the long, warm days of summer so there will be extended periods of daily fasting, lasting almost 19 hours.

As the months move back through the Western calendar, Ramadan is set to begin in April by 2020, in March by 2023 and in February by 2026.

That means the daily hours of fasting will get shorter, offering some comfort to those who struggle to go without food and drink for such long periods.

Eid al-Fitr 2018

The Eid festivities of the first day of the new month of Shawwal will be on Friday, June 15, 2018, based on astronomical charts, and subject to a moon sighting close to that time.

Eid al-Adha 2018

The second set of annual Eid festivities - translating as the Feast of the Sacrifice - starts on the 10th day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah (the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar) and lasts until the 13th day.

The 10th day falls on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, according to astronomical charts and subject to a moon sighting close to that time.

Download the Telegraph app


Looking for an older story? Search our archives
