MUSLIMS in Cebu will begin observing the holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

During this time, they will engage in fasting, almsgiving and adopting a modest lifestyle.

Ijodin Saripada Mamacol, executive director of the Office of Muslim Affairs and Indigenous Cultural Communities (OMAICC) in Cebu City, said they conducted a moon-sighting activity to determine the start of Ramadan, but there was no sighting of the new moon.

“Ramadan here in the Philippines will officially start tomorrow. This was also declared by our religious leaders or Imam in the Bangsamoro region,” Mamacol told SunStar Cebu on Monday, March 11.

OMAICC had the moon-sighting activity with leaders from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Visayas Region in Toledo City last Sunday, March 10.

They were joined by other Muslim leaders from Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City.

Mamacol said that in Islam, the sighting of the crescent moon marks the start of each lunar month. As Muslims adhere to the Islamic calendar, which follows the lunar cycle, the timing of Ramadan varies annually.

If the crescent moon is not sighted, it may delay the beginning of Ramadan. Muslims may resort to astronomical calculations or religious guidance to determine the start, resulting in regional variations in the commencement date.

The Muslim leader said that during Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, engaging in a series of prayers, Quran recitation, and acts of charity.

Fasting during Ramadan, regarded as one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, signifies a spiritual battle against worldly desires while fostering familial and social ties. / KJF