Ramadan, the Muslim festival of fasting – the most important event in the Islamic Calendar – started in Morocco today. The arrival of the crescent moon in the night sky signals the start of 30 days of fasting during which Muslims don’t eat, drink or smoke during the day, eating all their meals before sunrise and after sunset.
Fasting is one of the pillars of the Islamic faith and reminds Muslims of the plight of the poor, sick and needy. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the 30-day fasting period and is a great celebration throughout the Muslim world. Morocco is one of the last countries in the world that relies on actual sightings rather than a lunar calendar when working out its Ramadan dates…which means one can never be exactly sure when it’s going to start and finish.
Those of you with any experience of the country will immediately recognise how typically Moroccan this is…a big “Ramadan Mubarak” to all our friends!