Muslims across 40 villages in Chandpur district and four villages in Noakhali, initiated their Ramadan fasting on Monday, aligning with the commencement of the holy month in Saudi Arabia.
In Chandpur, this tradition has supposedly been upheld since 1928. The local mosques witnessed Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening, and villagers had sehri before dawn, marking the beginning of the fasting period. This practice, rooted in the rituals of Sadra Darbar Sharif in Sadra village, Hajiganj upazila, adheres to the moon sighting in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, shared by Pirjada Dr Bakibillah Mishkat Chowdhury.
Approximately 40 villages in the district follow this custom not only for Ramadan fasting but also for celebrating the two Eids on the same dates observed in Saudi Arabia.
In Noakhali, Some houses in four villages of Begamganj and Sadar upazila observed fasting in accordance with Saudi Arabia. For almost 100 years, they started fasting by performing Taraweeh prayer one day before the normal rule of Bangladesh. This year also the people of these villages are observing the holy fast one day earlier.
On Sunday night, Taraweeh congregation was held simultaneously in nine mosques of four villages of two upazilas of the district on the occasion of holy Ramadan.
The villages are Lakshminarayanpur and Harinarayanpur, Vasantbagh and Fazilpur.