Muslims around the world are gearing up for the first day of Ramadan

Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, starts after the sun sets Sunday evening.

Officials in Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest site, saw the crescent moon on Sunday, night marking the start of the month of fasting.

Ramadan is a time where Muslims all over the world will be fasting from sunrise to sunset. They will be abstaning from eating, drinking (water included), and engaging in sexual activity.

Sunday night will be the first night when Muslims may set their alarm clocks on for before sunset, in order to observe their first ‘Suhour’ — a meal that comes before ‘Fajr’ — the first of the five prayers performed before sunrise.

Monday night, Muslims across Canada will observe their first Iftar — the meal to break their fasts. Usually, this meal is had with family and friends, and depending on their cultures, fasts are broken by biting into a date.

People in B.C. will start their fasts around 5:00 a.m. and end their fasts a little after 6:00 p.m. As daylight extends, so will the hours of fasting. Towards the end of the month, the fasting hours will have increased by approximately an hour, ending just after 7:00 p.m.

Farah Ghoorahoo, a Surrey resident who observes Ramadan, tells CityNews how the fast time of Ramadan changes every year.

“This year’s going to be a short one for sure. Every year is different based on the Islamic calendar and the lunar as well,” she said.

“Every year they moved back so this time it will be shorter. Sometimes we had it in summer; that was longer.”

She tells us that fasting is not just about abstaining.

“Also during that time, we increase our prayers. We think about the less fortunate, and with everything that’s happening in the world right now. It’s something to think about and to increase that interest to be closer to the community,” Ghoorahoo said.

Ghoorahoo says the Quran was decided for this particular month, so her community reads more and prays together as a community.

“We share food with our neighbors and family and friends and also the poor,” she said.

Ghoorahoo tells CityNews there are gatherings at mosques where people give out food and break their fasts and observe Iftar together, or they go early morning to the mosques to observe Suhoor.

She says the holy month is also a time of festivities.

“Our house is decorated, with a little decorations, with the plates, and all of the moons, and the preparation for the food,” she said.

“That’s a fantastic time where everyone’s close, and since then we’ve increased the history as well about talking more about the Quran.”

Ghoorahoo says this is her favourite time of the year and she is always excited about it.

With files from Raynaldo Suarez.