End of Ramadaan
The end of Ramadaan depends on sighting the moon for the month of Shawwal, the month that follows Ramadaan. On the 29th of Ramadaan as the sun sets, Muslims look for the new moon of Shawwal. If it is seen, then Ramadaan has ended and the next day will be 'Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival celebrated by Muslims to mark the end of Ramadaan. If the moon is not seen however, fasting continues for one more day. So some years Ramadaan is 29 days long, and other years it is 30 days long, depending on the sighting of the moon.
In 2005, the last day of Ramadaan in New Zealand is expected to be on
either the 3rd or 4th of November.
It should also be noted that the beginning and end of Ramadaan is not the
same everywhere in the world. This is because each nation follows its own
sighting, and the people of one country should fast together and not
create divisions between themselves. The new moon becomes visible at
different times in different places and some places may not be able to see
the moon due to poor weather, whilst others can. It happened in 2003 that
Australia and New Zealand started Ramadaan on different days!
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