Ramadan 2024 in the Philippines: What You Need to Know

(SPOT.ph) The holy month of fasting for Muslims begins on March 12 this year, a change from the earlier called date of March 11. The start of Ramadan has already been officially declared in the Philippines—and for the rest of the nation keeping watch for potential holiday reasons, the Palace has already announced that the memorandum stating that March 11 is a holiday is fake news. To spell it out: that means there'll be no non-working holiday for the start of Ramadan. 

Also read: Here's Why Ramadan Falls on Different Dates Every Year

What to know about Ramadan 2024 in the Philippines

What is Ramadan and why does it fall on different dates?

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar and is a sacred time dedicated to dawn-to-dusk fasting; fasting here means abstaining from food, drink, sexual activity, and anything related to base human desires in order to give way to worship and meditation. The reason holy dates change annually is because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar—and so it all depends on the moon. 

For Ramadan, Islamic bodies await on the appearance of the crescent moon, or more specifically, the new moon, which signals the start of the monthly lunar phases. The fasting month's end will depend on the new moon's return, called the Eid al-Fitr. Note that this means the official dates may change depending on where you are, even within the country, thanks to differing time zones and resulting moon sightings. 

Ramadan is a sacred month for the Muslims as it is believed to celebrate the beginnings of Islam. Before Muhammad became messenger of God, he would spend the ninth month in solitude in a cave on top of Mount Hira. During his monthly retreat in 610, at the age of 40, the first verses of the holy Qu'ran were revealed to him by an angelic form, in a revelation that is marked as the beginning of the religion. 

Also read: EXPLAINER: What is Ramadan and Why Does it Require Muslims to Fast?

Ramadan start and end dates for 2024

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) officially declared the start of Ramadan to be on March 12, Tuesday, based on moonsighting activities done together with the Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta’ (BDI) and PAGASA. Ramadan will continue for around 30 days. 

The fake memo that made the rounds online stated that March 11 would be a non-working holiday due to Eid al-Fitr, the celebratory holiday that comes at the end—not the start—of Ramadan. "It is a tampered version of Proclamation No. 729, s. 2019," said the Official Gazette. 

The original 2019 proclamation did announce the end of Ramadan that year a holiday, which is something we may expect to be declared once more for this year. As of writing, the NCMA calendars peg April 10 as the end date for the holy month, but as always, it will depend on the moon's phases. The official proclamation will be made once the NCMA is able to give a date to the national administration.