Why does Ramadan begin every year on different days?

In 2016, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began in early June, and ended in early July. In the world there are many different religions. The Muslim faith has about 1.7 billion followers, and this is about a quarter of the world's population. Every year for one month followers of the ideas of the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, celebrate the holy feast. Ramadan is the time for fasting and purifying the soul, in order to realize the laws of God. Every time we come across a global event. But he does not have an established date. Why does Ramadan every year begin on different days?

Muslims in the general mass live in African and Asian countries (mainly in the Middle East). However, in every country of the world there is an impressive Islamic faith. For example, there are 3.3 million Muslims in the US.

Traditions of the holiday

During Ramadan, from the rising to the setting of the sun every day, the followers of Mohammed devote time to prayers. They are forbidden to eat, drink, enter into sexual relations, smoke. An exception may be seriously ill people who are unable to abstain from food for a long time. It is believed that in this way Muslims increase piety, purify thoughts and demonstrate their devotion to God. Ramadan is considered one of the five pillars of Islamic culture. At that time, Allah showed the Prophet Muhammad the first verses of the Quran, the holy Islamic book.

Iftar

Every evening, after sunset and evening prayer, a traditional meal begins. Iftar interrupts the hour long and is held according to local time. Muslims do wear out their body throughout the month, especially if Ramadan (as in this year) falls on the summer season, when on a hot day it is impossible to drink a sip of water.

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar

Ramadan does not have a fixed date, because the Islamic calendar obeys the lunar cycles. This frame of reference of months differs from the system of the traditional Gregorian calendar, generally accepted in most countries of Europe and America and based on the solar cycle. The beginning of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar commemorates the beginning of the holy feast of Ramadan. The beginning of each month is conducted with the arrival of a new moon. Thus, every year in relation to the Gregorian calendar, the Muslim one is shifted to 10 days ago.

Disagreements within Muslim communities

But even within the Muslim confessions themselves, there are certain disagreements about the beginning of the Ramadan celebration. Different communities follow their protocol to determine the beginning of a new month. If some of them strictly follow the lunar calendar, others are guided by scientific observations. There are communities that begin to fix a new month, when a thin crescent moon of a new moon will appear. Therefore, different dates are set for Ramadan in different regions, although their variability is insignificant. For example, this year someone began to celebrate the holiday on June 5, and someone - on the 6th. The ninth Muslim month ended on 4 or 5 July, respectively.