Millions of Muslims around the world have begun fasting as the holy month of Ramadan has now begun. This special religious festival, which takes place on a different date each year, began with the sighting of the crescent moon over the weekend and is expected to run until May 3, 2022.
Ramadan begins when the new moon first appears in the night sky, with the full moon around a fortnight later marking the middle of Ramadan, and the moon waning to the other side marking the end of Ramadan, 29 or 30 days after it begun.
This year, Ramadan began in the UK on Sunday, April 3. Whilst it was initially expected to begin on Saturday, April 2, the moon couldn't be seen from the UK that evening, so - as is typical for the holy month - the beginning of the festivities was pushed back one day to April 3.
