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Millions of Muslims observe fasting as Ramadan begins

From Indonesia to the United States, Muslims around the world welcome the holy month of Ramadan.

Muslim women attend prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at al-Akbar Mosque, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. [Sigit Pamungkas/Reuters]
Muslim women attend prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at al-Akbar Mosque, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. [Sigit Pamungkas/Reuters]
18 May 2018

For millions of Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan began on Thursday.

The first day of Ramadan – the holiest month for Muslims – is observed according to the local visibility of the new crescent moon. In some countries, Wednesday was the first day of the holy month.

Muslims around the world will be fasting every day for a month, refraining from eating, drinking and smoking from sunrise to sunset.

It is a month of self-discipline and empathy for those living in poverty.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, fasting during Ramadan is accompanied by increased spiritual reflection, worship and acts of charity.

Members of the moon sighting committee gather to view the new moon through a telescope. The new moon marks the start of Ramadan, from Pakistan's Meteorological Department building in Karachi, Pakistan. [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
Members of the moon sighting committee gather to view the new moon through a telescope. The new moon marks the start of Ramadan, from Pakistan's Meteorological Department building in Karachi, Pakistan. [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
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Bosnian Ramadan gunner Smail Krivic fires his cannon to signal the end of the dawn-to-dusk fast in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on Wednesday evening. [Amel Emric/AP Photo]
Bosnian Ramadan gunner Smail Krivic fires his cannon to signal the end of the dawn-to-dusk fast in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on Wednesday evening. [Amel Emric/AP Photo]
Muslims break their fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at Victory Park near Memorial Mosque in Moscow, Russia. [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Muslims break their fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at Victory Park near Memorial Mosque in Moscow, Russia. [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Palestinians perform an evening prayer called 'tarawih' marking the first eve of the holy month of Ramadan outside the protest camp tents near the Israeli border east of Gaza City. [Adel Hana/AP Photo]
Palestinians perform an evening prayer called 'tarawih' marking the first eve of the holy month of Ramadan outside the protest camp tents near the Israeli border east of Gaza City. [Adel Hana/AP Photo]
A customer purchases prayer beads ahead of Ramadan in Kabul, Afghanistan. [Rahmat Gul/AP Photo]
A customer purchases prayer beads ahead of Ramadan in Kabul, Afghanistan. [Rahmat Gul/AP Photo]
Shia worshippers gather near the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim to mark the beginning of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Shia worshippers gather near the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim to mark the beginning of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
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A boy buys a skull cap on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, outside the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi, India. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
A boy buys a skull cap on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, outside the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi, India. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
Breaking the fast in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. [Emrah Gurel/AP Photo]
Breaking the fast in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. [Emrah Gurel/AP Photo]
A Muslim woman's prayer beads during tarawih prayers at Eyup Sultan Cultural Center on the first day of Ramadan in Brooklyn, New York, US. [Gabriela Bhaskar/Reuters]
A Muslim woman's prayer beads during tarawih prayers at Eyup Sultan Cultural Center on the first day of Ramadan in Brooklyn, New York, US. [Gabriela Bhaskar/Reuters]
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