Saudi Arabia will begin Ramadan on Wednesday while Iran starts Thursday, highlighting traditional moon-sighting methods for the Islamic holy month.

RIYADH: The first day of Ramadan will fall on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s royal court announced. Iran’s supreme leader’s office stated the holy month would begin there on Thursday.

Ramadan traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide observe a fast from sunrise to sunset during this period.

Many Muslim-majority countries follow Saudi Arabia in determining the start of Ramadan. The official Saudi Press Agency confirmed the date in a social media post.

Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbours Oman, Qatar and the UAE also announced Wednesday as the first day. Sunni Islam is the majority religion in Saudi Arabia and these Gulf states.

In contrast, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office said it expected Thursday to be the first day. Shiite Islam is the majority faith in Iran.

Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam. Believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours.

Religious authorities continue to rely on direct visual sighting to confirm the crescent moon. This practice has been followed since the time of the Prophet Mohammed.

An astronomical observatory northwest of Riyadh hosted observers scanning the sky on Tuesday. Teams were scattered across Saudi Arabia to watch for the new crescent moon.

Following evening prayers, the teams file their report to the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia. The court holds the authority to announce the start of the holy month.

In Iran, the supreme leader’s office announced moon-sighting groups will spread across the country on Wednesday evening. They will attempt to observe the crescent marking the start of Ramadan.

“Experts predict that the crescent should be easily visible”, the office added. Despite advances in astronomy, visual confirmation remains the

 The Sun Malaysia