Ramadan is one of the most important months celebrated in the religion of Islam.
Falling on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the holy month is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and during Ramadan it is compulsory for all healthy Muslims to avoid food between the hours of dawn and sunset.
Muslims are also required to abstain from drink, sex and smoking each day light throughout Ramadan.
But when does the holy month of fasting begin this year?
Here are all the details, thanks to Birmingham Live.
What date is Ramadan 2022?
The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia is predicting Ramadan to start on April 2, 2022.
It says the month will finish on May 1, with the next month (Shawwal) starting on May 2 with the three-day festivities of Eid al-Fitr.
The Umm al-Qura Calendar is used by the government of Saudi Arabia for civil purposes, with its dates now determined at the Institute of Astronomical & Geophysical Research in Riyadh, using modern astronomical theories of the sun and the moon.
This calculated lunar calendar is also followed by several neighbouring states on the Arabian Peninsula such as Bahrain and Qatar.
Islamic Relief UK has a calendar predicting the same dates, as does Islamic Finder.
In practice, each month begins after a confirmed sighting of the first faint crescent of the new moon.
The first visual sighting of the lunar crescent can occur up to two days after the date predicted by the Umm al-Qura Calendar.
So this means dates may be adjusted, especially for the most important months of Muharram, Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhul Hijjah.
Since 2001, the predicted dates for Ramadan in Saudi Arabia have matched the announced dates in 16 years. However, Ramadan has ended up starting a day earlier one year and a day later in four years.
In addition, while some countries and communities follow the Saudi declarations, others look for a moon sighting in their own country or from other nations. This can include the UK, Morocco and South Africa.
It can mean slight variations in dates from country to country, within the same country, or even within the same city.
Religious officials look for the moon on the 29th day of the existing month. If it's seen, the month ends and the next one begins; if it isn't seen the month goes on for another day.
Because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon and a lunar year is 354 days, shorter than the 365 days of a year in the Gregorian calendar, Muslim dates shift forward by 10 or 11 days every year.
Ramadan began on April 13 in 2021 though for some it started a day later.
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