Morocco does not use a calendar to determine when a religious festival begins and ends but instead using moon observations to determine. Muslim Moroccans - even if some of them do not consider themselves to be Muslims and many are not practicing - are strictly obliged by law to refrain from eating in public during the month of Ramadan, refrain from drinking wine, and refrain from converting to another religion. Routines for eating, sleeping, and prayer change for 30 days and nights, including fasting to 13+ hours a day.
At the start of a normal Ramadan day in Morocco, there are sounds from the town crier’s horn (called ‘nafar’) to wake up families for the pre-dawn meal. For the iftar, Moroccan enjoys traditional sweets like sellou and chebakia. After the iftar, a cannon blast signals the beginning of the 24-hour fast, and followed by zowaka, an air raid siren, signals the end of the fast at dusk.
For tarawih and tahajjud prayers, Moroccans travel to surrounding mosques. Extra congregational prayers are also offered throughout this holy month so that individuals might read the Quran and dedicate themselves to Allah.
Ramadan in 2023 is expected to start in Morocco on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, and followed by the Eid al Fitr festival on Thursday, April 20, 2023.