Ramadan dates: when it starts and ends, and what it means for Umrah

Wiki Tours International (Bab Makka) is a licensed travel agency in Casablanca (licence no. ODV-25012) that runs Umrah trips from Mohammed V airport. Before choosing a Ramadan departure, families often ask us when the month starts and when it ends. Here are the computed dates, how to read them, and what they change for an Umrah.

• The month: Ramadan is the ninth month of the Hijri calendar, the month of obligatory fasting from dawn to sunset; Sha'ban, the eighth, comes immediately before it.
• Start and end: both depend on the sighting of the crescent moon. The dates on this page are computed in advance on the Umm al-Qura calendar and can move by two days until the official announcement.
• The nights: the tarawih are prayed in congregation every night of Ramadan after Isha; Laylat al-Qadr is sought in the odd nights of the last ten.
• Eid al-Fitr: it is the first day of Shawwal, the month after Ramadan; the last day of fasting is the day before it.

When does Ramadan start, and when does it end?

The first counter shows the computed first day of fasting, 1 Ramadan. In the Hijri calendar the night comes before its day, so the first night of the month, with the first tarawih, is the evening before. The second counter shows the computed day of Eid al-Fitr, which closes the month. Between the two, Ramadan runs from the first half of February to the first half of March.

Under each date, the counter recalls that everything depends on the sighting of the moon. The Umm al-Qura calendar computes the Hijri months in advance, so a date can be shown months ahead; but only the official announcement made after the crescent is sighted settles the first day of fasting and the day of Eid, and it can come a day or two before or after the calculation. In Makkah, the first day of Ramadan is announced after that sighting.

What does the two-day margin change for an Umrah?

It does not touch the trip's own dates: every group departure leaves and returns on the dates shown on its card, and the crescent does not move a plane. What the margin can move is where the moments of the month fall inside the stay:

• the first night and the first tarawih;
• the first day of fasting;
• the start of the last ten nights;
• the day of Eid al-Fitr.

If your plan hinges on one of them, count with the margin, not with the date alone: a computed date secures no particular night. The method, from the day the group arrives in Makkah, is set out in arriving in Makkah before the first night of Ramadan.

How does the month unfold, from Sha'ban to Eid?

Each stage has a fixed place in the Hijri calendar; only its Gregorian date depends on the crescent.

| Stage | Place in the Hijri calendar | What it changes for an Umrah |
|---|---|---|
| Start of Sha'ban | 1 Sha'ban | The last month without the obligatory fast before Ramadan |
| First night of Ramadan | The evening of the last day of Sha'ban | The first tarawih at the Haram |
| First day of fasting | 1 Ramadan | The day is organised around suhoor before Fajr and iftar at Maghrib |
| The last ten nights | From the night of 21 Ramadan | The search for Laylat al-Qadr |
| Eid al-Fitr | 1 Shawwal | The end of the fast |

Two stages have their own counter: the start of Sha'ban and the start of the last ten nights, whose first night is the evening before the date shown.

During the last ten nights, Masjid al-Haram sees its largest crowds of the year; what they ask of a trip is covered in Umrah in the last ten nights of Ramadan.

How do you place a departure within the month?

Each open departure's card shows its departure date, its return date and its length; set them against the counters:

1. Does the departure come before the computed first day of fasting? If the return does too, the trip contains no day of Ramadan: no obligatory fast, no tarawih. If the return comes after it, the trip crosses into the month and includes its first nights: that is the idea behind the Sha'ban-Ramadan programmes, which leave in Sha'ban and end in the first days of Ramadan, before the crowds of the last ten nights. A departure leaving after that day starts once the month is under way.
2. Does the trip cover the last ten nights? To include all of them, it must start before the first and last until the end of the month; with the margin, that comes down to a day or two.
3. Does it run past the last day of fasting? Then you spend Eid al-Fitr in the Holy Places, on the day the announcement sets.

The card does not tell you everything: the order of the cities is on the departure page when the programme gives it, and it tells you where you will be on the evening the month begins. February, when Ramadan begins this season, has its own article: Umrah in February: the end of Sha'ban, then the start of Ramadan.

Here are the Ramadan and Sha'ban-Ramadan departures open today, with their dates, length and current prices:

Does the official Umrah season calendar matter too?

Yes, above all for a trip that starts after Ramadan. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the official calendar of the Umrah season, with a last date for issuing Umrah visas and a last date for entering the Kingdom. This season the first falls around the computed day of Eid al-Fitr and the second two weeks later, so a departure planned after Ramadan needs its visas issued before the first and its travellers in the Kingdom before the second. Visa fees and processing are included in our offers: our team builds and submits the file within the calendar published on the day it is submitted.

And the following Ramadan: when will it fall?

Earlier. On the same calculation, the next Hijri year's Ramadan starts about eleven days earlier in the Gregorian year, in late January:

So the month shifts through the civil calendar every year, and so does its position against the school holidays, from the mid-year break to the intermediate breaks. With children at school, compare the departure dates with the school calendar each season, as Umrah during school holidays explains; the guide chapter which period to choose for your Umrah places Ramadan among all the seasons of the year.

When to book a Ramadan departure is a separate question: see when to book a Ramadan Umrah.

Frequently asked questions

When does this Hijri year's Ramadan start?

In the first half of February, on the Umm al-Qura calendar. That computed date is the first day of fasting; the first night, with the first tarawih, is the evening before. The official announcement made after the crescent is sighted sets the exact day, which can differ from the calculation by a day or two.

When does Ramadan end, and when is Eid al-Fitr?

In the first half of March, on the same calculation. Eid al-Fitr opens Shawwal, the month after Ramadan, so the fast stops the day before. Like its start, the end of the month depends on the sighting of the crescent, and the day of Eid is only known once it is officially announced.

Why does the date of Ramadan change every year?

Because Ramadan is a month of the Hijri calendar: its start and end follow the crescent moon, not the Gregorian calendar, so it moves earlier in the civil year from one year to the next. On the Umm al-Qura calendar, the next Hijri year's Ramadan starts about eleven days earlier, in late January.

Do I need to wait for the official announcement before booking?

No. Every departure leaves and returns on dates fixed in advance, which the crescent does not move, and the Sha'ban-Ramadan programmes leave during Sha'ban, before any announcement. The announcement only shifts, by a day or two, where the first night, the last ten nights and the day of Eid fall in the stay.

Can I spend Eid al-Fitr in the Holy Places?

Yes, if the trip runs past the last day of fasting. Compare the return date with the computed day of Eid, allowing a day or two for the announcement, then check the order of the cities on the departure page to see whether you will be in Makkah or in Madinah that day.

Does the date of Ramadan affect the visa?

Indirectly. The official Umrah season calendar, announced by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, sets a last date for issuing visas and a last date for entering the Kingdom; this season the first falls around the computed day of Eid al-Fitr. A trip starting after Ramadan therefore needs its visa issued before then.

Write to Bab Makka

Want to know where a particular departure falls in the month of Ramadan? Write to us on WhatsApp with the button on this page: we set its dates against the computed dates of the month with you, and tell you the order of its cities. You can also browse the Ramadan Umrah page and the Sha'ban-Ramadan departures first.