When does Ramadan start in Belgium?

For many Muslims, the Holy Month of Ramadan is a month to look forward to. For a whole month, they will fast between dawn and sunset.

However, the start of Ramadan remains uncertain right up to the wire and there’s an explanation for that: ‘The start date depends on the moon. Many Arabic-speaking Muslims only start Ramadan when the new moon is sighted. If that happens, fasting starts the following day. If it’s not the case, Ramadan will start a day later,’ explains Flemish Islam teacher Bahattin Koçak.

In many countries, including Belgium, people take account of the observations in Saudi Arabia. A council of theologians from the Muslim Council of Belgium meets and then officially announces when Ramadan will start. They do so on their website, but also via Facebook.

However, there are also countries that wait until the moon is observed in their own country, just like in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. As a result, Ramadan does not necessarily start at the same time everywhere.

Not all Muslims wait until they see the new moon. ‘Some determine the start on the basis of the astronomical calendar, rather than on an observation. For many Muslims, fasting begins on Thursday. This is the case for many Turkish Muslims, such as me. I have had my first day of fasting marked in my diary for a long time,’ says Koçak.

Christmas Ramadan soon?

Ramadan always coincides with the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. ‘That calendar also has 12 months but usually has 355 days instead of 365. That's because it follows the moon instead of the sun,’ explains Koçak.

‘As a result, the timing of Ramadan moves by about 10 days compared to the solar calendar. Last year, Ramadan began in early March, while this year it is already upon us in February,’ explains Koçak. ‘And so we will also have a “Winter Ramadan” in the coming years!’