ramadan kareem

Tomorrow we may all wish each other a happy ramadan. But, we won't find out until tonight if ramadan starts tomorrow. That's because a special guy has to see what phase the moon is in a whether the crescent moon has been seen:

You cannot guess the exact days of when Ramadan will start, many times a calendar or website will say it's on some day, but ends up being the day before or the day after. In the end, it all depends on the sighting of the crescent the evening before the supposed day, if it is not sighted, they must wait till the next day to look for the crescent again:

Ramadan will last for 29-30 days, depending on the moon (should be a crescent that looks like a curved strand of hair). Regardless of which day it starts, Ramadan will be considered to have started the night before the actual day, since in Islam, Maghrib (Sunset) marks the beginning of the next day.

You can't precisely calculate the next Ramadan because it all depends on when the crescent is sited. It's roughly 11 days before the previous Ramadan. 


Which is interesting, because it's going to effect working hours, and I don't know if I now have 12 hours left to work on the project or 16 hours. I really hope ramadan doesn't start tomorrow. Two full days in an office full of people who are cranky without fasting being involved, and me not being able to smoke. It could get ugly. Good thing I'm leaving soon.