March 12, 2025
The dark night’s sky is scattered with stars, and a light breeze hangs in the air. It is the evening of February the 28th, 2025. Though today was the tentative date for the start of Ramadan, the moon is nowhere to be seen in Zanzibar. Across the globe, however, in Saudi Arabia, the crescent moon has been observed, marking the start of the holy month.
Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam – a time of fasting, reflection, and community. Observed worldwide, its start depends on the first sighting of the crescent moon in the ninth month of the year in the Islamic calendar. The new moon itself is invisible, and only when a thin crescent appears in the sky does the new month officially begin.
It is now March 1st, 2025, and the sun is setting behind the trees in Zanzibar. While the sky deepens into gradients of blue and orange, a thin light becomes visible. Tonight, the crescent moon is sighted over Zanzibar’s islands, and Zanzibaris all over the archipelago wish each other Ramadan Kareem – a blessed Ramadan.
The Islamic calendar is following the lunar cycle – each month starts with the sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts 29 or 30 days. This makes a lunar year about 10-12 days shorter compared to a solar year, which is used by the Gregorian calendar, and causes the start of Ramadan to shift 10-12 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar, completing a full rotation through all seasons approximately every 33 years.
Because the moon sightings depend on location and time zones, Ramadan may start on different days globally, as observed in Saudi Arabia and Zanzibar this year. For Muslims, there are different ways of determining the start of Ramadan. While some rely on the traditional moon sighting in their country of origin, others follow the moon sighting as observed in Mecca – the holiest city in Islam, which holds deep spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for Muslims worldwide.
The word “Ramadan” comes from the Arabic word Ramaḍān (رمضان), which is derived from the root ramiḍa (رَمِضَ) or ar-ramad (الرَّمَض), meaning “intense scorching heat” or “dryness.”
Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is prescribed for Muslims as an act of worship and a form of spiritual purification through charity and good deeds. Over the month of Ramadan, Muslims observing the fast will refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk to achieve greater taqwa, or consciousness of God. Feeling hunger and dehydration allows people who fast to understand what the less privileged experience and fosters greater empathy and gratitude.
✅ Fast from dawn to sunset – No eating, drinking, smoking, or intimate relations during daylight hours.
✅ Perform extra prayers – Including Taraweeh, special night prayers.
✅ Read the Quran – Many aim to complete it during the month.
✅ Give to charity – Supporting the less fortunate is highly encouraged.
✅ Practice self-discipline – Avoid anger, gossip, and negative behavior.
✅ Break the fast (Iftar) with dates and water – Following the tradition of Prophet Muhammad
✅ Eat a pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) – Helps sustain energy throughout the day.
❌ Eat or drink during daylight hours – This applies to all adult Muslims (with exemptions for people during their menstrual cycles and pregnancies, people with illnesses and younger children).
❌ Engage in sinful behavior – Such as lying, arguing, or using foul language.
❌ Skip obligatory prayers – Daily prayers remain essential.
❌ Overeat at Iftar – Moderation is encouraged.
❌ Be wasteful – Islam teaches gratitude and avoiding excess.
The word “Ramadan” comes from the Arabic word Ramaḍān (رمضان), which is derived from the root ramiḍa (رَمِضَ) or ar-ramad (الرَّمَض), meaning “intense scorching heat” or “dryness.” This name symbolises the burning away of sins through fasting, purification, and devotion. Some scholars also relate it to the time when the names of the months were based on seasonal conditions, suggesting that Ramadan originally fell during an intensely hot period in the Arabian summer.
Fasting is physically and mentally challenging, making it important to be compassionate to those observing Ramadan.
To be in Zanzibar during Ramadan gives an exceptional experience of the island’s culture and traditions. With a predominantly Muslim population (98%), Ramadan’s impact on the islands is highly noticeable. The days can be calm and quiet, the villages are empty while the communities slow down their pace and rest while fasting. The Zanzibar heat brings another layer of difficulty, especially in March when the seasonal winds tend to drop and the air becomes hot and humid, shortly before the rainy season. Fasting is physically and mentally challenging, making it important to be compassionate to those observing Ramadan.
Iftar is the meal that breaks the daily fast, eaten immediately after sunset, after the first prayers of the Muezzin are heard. Following the Prophet’s tradition, dates are eaten first, accompanied by chai – tea. It is a deeply spiritual and communal event, often shared with family and friends. The villages become quiet while families retreat to their homes, where they consume traditional dishes such as pumpkin in coconut sauce and maandazi – a Zanzibari type of fried doughnut – both flavoured with cardamom seeds. The main streets, however, become vibrant and lively, with street food stalls offering local snacks, such as mishkaki, sambusas, and freshly cut pineapple and watermelon. Men dress in a traditional kanzu (a white tunic), while women wear colourful kangas (colourful East-African fabrics).
The evening hours are filled with long prayers, and mosques become lively gathering places. At night, you may be woken by groups of people gathering on the village roads, singing gracefully while using pots and pans to create rhythmic sounds to wake their neighbours for Suhoor – the last pre-dawn meal of the night, to gain energy for the day ahead.
The end of Ramadan is marked again by the sighting of the crescent moon and is followed by Eid al-Fitr (عيد الفطر) – the most significant celebration in Islam. Parents have been saving up money for this special time of the year, offering colourful princess dresses to their daughters, toys to their sons, and food or money to those in need. Traditional taarab music fills the streets while open grass fields and gardens transform into picnic sites with festive energies all around.
Although it is a unique time to be in Zanzibar, there are a few things to be aware of during the holy month.
At Mr. Kahawa, we pause our restaurant service daily from 6:30–7:30 pm to give our team the time and space to observe Iftar. Guests who would like to experience this special moment of the day can sign up to join our team for a mini Iftar buffet, where we serve dishes traditionally consumed during Iftar. It is a unique chance to get to know our team, including the people working hard behind the scenes, such as the kitchen, maintenance, and security teams.
For the curious travellers seeking cultural enhancement, we highly recommend visiting Zanzibar during the month of Ramadan.
The expected dates of Ramadan in the upcoming years are:
2026: Begins on the evening of Wednesday, February 18, and ends on Friday, March 20.
2027: Begins on the evening of Monday, February 8, and ends on Wednesday, March 10.
2028: Begins on the evening of Friday, January 28, and ends on Sunday, February 27.
For now, while we are also reflecting on our journey, we wish you Ramadan Kareem and Eid Mubarak (عيد مبارك) from the whole Mr. Kahawa team.