Muslim holy month · Expected Monday, February 8 – Monday, March 8, 2027
Ramadan
A month of fasting from dawn to sunset, prayer, charity and community.
Say it like a neighbor
Ramadan Mubarak
Say: rah-mah-DAHN moo-BAH-rak · or “Ramadan Kareem” (kah-REEM)
Both greetings wish someone a blessed and generous Ramadan. They are used by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. You can say them in the days before Ramadan begins, too.
Feb 8
From dawn to sunset, Muslims who are fasting go without food and drink. Tap to reach sunset.
When is Ramadan? Key dates and days to know
Main day
Ramadan follows the moon, so it starts about 11 days earlier each year. Dates here are expected; each community confirms the start by moon sighting or by calculation, so your neighbor may begin a day earlier or later. Ramadan is 29 or 30 days.
What is Ramadan and what does it mean?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims believe the Qur’an began to be revealed during this month, and many call it the most sacred time of the year.
Adults who are healthy fast from the first light of dawn until sunset: no food, no drink. The fast is also a practice of patience, gratitude, kindness and self-control, and the month turns toward prayer, reading the Qur’an and giving to those in need.
Not everyone fasts. Children, travelers, people who are ill, pregnant, nursing or elderly, and others are excused, and many make up the days later or give to the poor instead.
How is Ramadan observed? Customs and traditions
Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal
Families wake before the sun comes up to eat and drink. It sets the day, and it is often a quiet, close time at home.
Fasting, from dawn to sunset
No eating or drinking during daylight hours, and also a focus on speaking kindly and avoiding arguments, gossip and anger.
Iftar, breaking the fast
At sunset many families break the fast the way the Prophet Muhammad did, with dates and water, and then pray and share a meal. In Houston sunset comes close to 6 p.m., a little later each week.
Taraweeh prayers
After the evening prayer, mosques hold long nightly prayers with a recitation of the Qur’an, often a section each night so the whole book is read by the end of the month.
Charity and zakat
Giving is at the center of the month. Many Muslims give extra charity, feed neighbors, and pay zakat (the yearly obligation to give) during Ramadan.
Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power
Marks the night the Qur’an was first revealed. It falls in the last ten nights, most often remembered on the 27th, and many Muslims stay up in prayer.
Community iftars
Mosques, student groups and neighbors host open dinners at sunset, and many welcome guests of every faith.
Being a good neighbor during Ramadan
Tap each one as you go.
Ramadan in Houston: how neighbors can take part
Houston Muslims have organized since 1969
Houston’s Muslim community is large and diverse, with families from South Asia, the Arab world, Africa, Southeast Asia and many other places, as well as Muslims who have lived here for generations.
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), founded in 1969, now runs about twenty mosques and prayer centers and publishes a Ramadan prayer and iftar timetable each year. Many other mosques are independent.
Most mosques open their iftars to neighbors. Call or message the mosque before you go. The 2027 schedules had not been posted when we checked.
Ramadan events in Houston
Houston mosques set their own schedules, and Ramadan dates move with the moon. Please check with the mosque before you go. Visitors are generally welcome.
Questions neighbors ask about Ramadan
When is Ramadan 2027?
Ramadan 2027 begins around Monday, February 8 and lasts 29 or 30 days, ending around March 8. The exact start depends on the moon sighting, so confirm with your local mosque.
What do you say during Ramadan?
“Ramadan Mubarak,” which means “blessed Ramadan,” is the most common greeting. “Ramadan Kareem” is also used.
Is it rude to eat in front of a coworker who is fasting?
Not at all. Muslims fast from dawn to sunset by choice and don’t expect others to change. Small kindnesses help, like moving a lunch meeting or accepting an invitation to an iftar, the evening meal.
Keep exploring