Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Sunday, February 7th or Monday, February 8th, 2027.
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 2027 does begin the night of February 7th. 2027, then that would make the first fasting day February 8th, 2027. Similarly, if it begins the night of February 8th, then fasting would begin February 9th. That’s because Ramadan begins at maghrib, as the calendar day in Islam begins with sunset. So Muslims would begin their Ramadan 2027 taraweeh prayers after isha salah on the night of February 7th or February 8th, then begin fasting at dawn on February 8th or February 9th, 2027.
However, because there are disagreements each year about when Ramadan begins, determining the exact date of Ramadan 2027 based on when the holy month began this year is inherently imprecise. Some scholars use a method of calculation to determine when Ramadan 2027 (or any year) will be — well in advance — based on patterns of the moon’s orbit around the earth and more.
Ramadan 2027 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 when is Eid al-Fitr 2027?
Eid al-Fitr 2027 can fall on March 9th or 10th, 2027, depending on two key factors:
When Ramadan 2027 begins.
Whether Ramadan 2027 will have 29 or 30 days.
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.
