Can Ramadan happen twice a year? If you’ve lived in the UAE for a while, you’ll know that the Islamic (lunar) calendar differs from the Georgian (solar) calendar, and the dates of Ramadan change each year. So, this has had us wondering, could Ramadan ever happen twice in the same calendar year? Well, according to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Member of the Arab Federation of Space and Astronomy Sciences, yes it will. In an interview with Gulf News, Al Jarwan explained that as the lunar calendar is 11 days fewer than the solar calendar, at some stage we will experience two Ramadans in the same year. The solar calendar and the lunar calendar run separately from each other. In the solar one, a new year begins after the earth makes a full rotation around the sun (12 months), and while the lunar calendar also has 12 months, each only has 29 or 30 days so the year is shorter. So, when will it happen? In 2030, we can expect to experience Ramadan both at the beginning and end of the same year. During that year, Ramadan is likely to be observed on January 6, followed by Eid Al Fitr on February 5. By the end of the year, Ramadan is expected to fall again on December 26, meaning the total fasting days in 2030 will be 36. As the Hijri calendar only contains 354 days, the phenomenon will repeat every 33 years. The last time there were two Ramadans in the same year was 1997. After 2030, we can expect two Ramadans again in 2063. The Hijri calendar is difficult to predict, and can only be decided by an official committee. This group is elected to come together and record moon sightings to determine a new month. However astronomers are able to predict when they think the new month will come. The Islamic Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles and it takes 33 years to complete a full cycle Worshippers at fajr prayers on the first day of Ramadan at Al Khayle Mosque, Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. All photos: Victor Besa / The National In seven years’ time, Muslims around the world will observe Ramadan twice in one year – a phenomenon that last occurred in 1997. Dr Hasan Al Hariri, chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group, said those observing the holy month in 2030 will commence their fast twice, first in January and then again in late December. This is because the Islamic Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles and it takes 33 years to complete a full cycle. This phenomenon makes it unique, where in one solar year we will have two Ramadans. The next time this happens will be in 2030 Dr Hasan Al Hariri, Dubai Astronomy Group “The lunar calendar, or a lunar-based year, is 11 days shorter than the solar calendar,” he said. “So, for example, a full year is 354 days instead of the 365 days marked on the Gregorian calendar. “Because of that, for each year that passes, Ramadan moves back by 10 or 11 days. “This phenomenon makes it unique, where in one solar year we will have two Ramadans. The next time this happens will be in 2030.” Dr Hasan Al Hariri is the chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National Dr Al Hariri said while from a “solar calendar perspective” the holy month will be marked twice in one year, from a lunar calendar standpoint it will still occur only once within a 354-day cycle. He said the number of days of Muslim fasts during Ramadan will not change in 2030, as it is always a 29 or 30-day period, depending on the moon sighting. How is the start of the holy month determined? Ramadan is observed by more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world and is believed to be the month when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. The sighting of the Moon signifies the start and the end of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.