Dar al-Fatwa, Lebanon’s highest Sunni authority headed by Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, announced that the holy fasting month of Ramadan begins on Saturday.
The start of the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar is traditionally determined by the sighting of the new moon, often dividing rival Islamic countries and sects over the exact date.

Because it follows the lunar cycle, Ramadan comes 11 days earlier every year on the Gregorian calendar, bringing the fasting month this year in the summer.

During Ramadan, Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until dusk as life slips into a lower gear during the day. Activity peaks between “iftar,” the breaking of the fast at sunset, and “suhur,” the last meal of the day before sunrise.