Muslims around the world are slowly reaching the half-way benchmark of Ramadan. 12 days have gone by since the holy month has begun and it’s safe to say that it hasn’t been without any struggles. It turns out, this is only half the battle. According to some astronomers, there’s a good chance we’ll have to fast twice a year in the future.
Yes, according to new reports, things are about to get even more challenging as Muslims will have to fast twice in 2030. Due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles, Ramadan is expected to be observed twice that year: first in January, then in December.
This is a result of the existing differences between the Hijri calendar and the Gregorian one as both do not have the same number of days in total. Indeed, the Islamic calendar has either 354 or 355 days whereas the Gregorian one has 364 or 365. As a result, Muslims will have to fast their usual 30 days in January of 2030 and again from December into January 2031.
This is a rare phenomenon that takes place roughly once every 30 years. The last it happened was in the late 1990s, in 1997 to be precise, and is expected to happen again around 2067.
