Ramadan 2023: How to say Happy Ramadan and other greetings - here’s when holy month ends

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims around the world - here are some of the greetings you might see and hear during the celebration

This year’s Islamic feast of Ramadan is well underway, and Muslims across the world are enjoying the celebrations. In 2023, Ramadan got underway on March 22 following the sighting of the moon over Mecca.

The 30 day festival will draw to a close on Friday (April 21). The festival is brought to a close with the beginning of the next festival in the Islamic calendar which is Eid al-Fitr.

During Ramadan, Muslims will take part in fasting - which is known as Sawm and is one of the five pillars of Islam. The period of fasting takes place over the 30 days between sunrise and sunset.

According to news site Al Jazeera, around 1.9 billion (roughly 25%) of the earth’s population are Muslim. The country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia, with around 230 million followers of the religion.

There are several ways people can greet each other during what is a significant month in the Islamic calendar. To help you get to know what these are and what they mean, we’ve collected together some of the more popular ones.

Ramadan Mubarak

One of the most popular expressions you will hear around Ramadan is ‘Ramadan Mubarak’. This is the Arabic term for ‘Blessed Ramadan’

Ramadan Kareem

Another term which you may hear frequently during Ramadan is ‘Ramadan Kareem’. This translates from Arabic to English as ‘generous Ramadan’.

Mubarak Alaikum Al Shahar

A term which is more general when it comes to greeting people during Ramadan. It translates to "may this month be a blessed one".

This is an expression which is primarily used as a greeting in Egypt. It is a common phrase which can be used to wish someone a Happy Ramadan.