Ramadan 2025 is expected to begin on Friday, Feb. 28, or Saturday, March 1, 2025.
That puts the holy month 11 days in the Gregorian year earlier than the start of Ramadan this year. Ramadan typically “moves up'' 11 days from one Gregorian year to the next. That’s because there are fewer days in Islam’s Hijri lunar calendar, the 12 months of which are all 29 or 30 days each. This lunar year, and not the 365-day solar year, is also the length of our zakat year, called a hawl in Arabic.
And if Ramadan does begin the night of Feb. 28, 2025, then that would make the first fasting day March 1, 2025. Similarly, if it begins the night of March 1, then fasting would begin March 2. That’s because Ramadan begins at maghrib, as the calendar day in Islam begins with sunset. So Muslims would begin their Ramadan 2025 taraweeh prayers after isha salah on the night of Feb. 28 or March 1, then begin fasting at dawn on March 1 or 2.
However, because there are disagreements each year about when Ramadan begins, determining the exact date of Ramadan 2025 based on when the holy month began this year is inherently imprecise. Some scholars use a method of calculation to determine when Ramadan 2025 (or any year) will be — well in advance — based on patterns of the moon’s orbit around the earth and more.
Ramadan 2025 and moonsighting
The Muslim tradition, as the Prophet Muhammad (on him be peace) established, is to sight each of the 12 lunar months’ new crescents with the naked eye in the western sky immediately after sunset.
The “new,” thin waxing crescent is potentially visible at a point when the moon has moved far enough out of direct line with the sun and the Earth. The sun then lights up a sliver of it as the moon progresses in its counterclockwise orbit around the Earth. [Note: This is also the same direction we orbit the Ka‘bah in our tawaf, or circumambulation, during Hajj and Umrah.] If it is visible, it can be spotted at that time only for a few minutes before a quick moonset.
So then when is Eid al-Fitr 2025?
Eid al-Fitr 2025 can fall on March 29, 30 or 31, depending on two key factors:
When Ramadan 2025 begins.
Whether Ramadan 2025 will have 29 or 30 days.
The aforementioned moonsighting process may create a discrepancy among scholars during Ramadan 2025 about how many days are in the month — 29 or 30.
So, if Ramadan 2025 begins Feb. 28, then Eid al-Fitr 2025 can be on March 29 or 30. Similarly, if the holy month begins March 1, 2025, then Eid al-Fitr can be March 30 or 31.
Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most celebrated days in Islam’s Hijri calendar. It marks the end of Ramadan, the Hijri calendar’s ninth month, and the first day of its 10th month, Shawwal.