Ramadan 22 in Morocco: when does it start?

This year, Ramadan will start on 3 April and end 2 May.  There is currently good availability at our Riad Cinnamon, Riad Star and Riad Spice for this period so get in touch today.

The Islamic calender also has 12 months like the Gregorian, however whereas the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar (i.e. based on the earth’s orbit of the sun) the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This means that the calendar does not correspond directly to the seasons in the same way that the western calendar does, although it is of either the same length per year or one day less so it is fairly similar. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is a considered the holiest of months in Islam as it was during this month that Qu’ran was revealed to Muhammed, therefore the month is a time of special observance for Muslims as they fast as it is seen as a way to burn away sins. The fast includes refraining from eating or drinking whilst the sun is in the sky, not smoking and forgoing sexual activity during daylight hours. This means that during the day it can seem bizarre when observing cafés in Marrakech and only seeing tourists inside them, however Ramadan also means that during the evenings once the sun goes down the city takes on an almost party like atmosphere as people rejoice in finally being able to get some food and drink. It also means that for an hour between 7-8pm virtually everything is shut as families return to their homes in anticipation of breaking the fast, this making it quite hard on occasion to find anyone to ask for directions or a shop where one can buy water during that time period. However it does mean that when people return from breaking their fast they are generally in an exceptionally cheery mood, lending the city a very pleasant atmosphere.