A unique Ramadan tradition has endured across 40 villages in Chandpur district and four villages in Noakhali, as Muslims kick-started their fasting on Monday, in harmony with the beginning of the holy month in Saudi Arabia.
Chandpur boasts a long-standing adherence to this practice since 1928, rooted in the customs of Sadra Darbar Sharif in Sadra village, Hajiganj upazila. Taraweeh prayers resonated in local mosques on Sunday evening, and villagers observed sehri before dawn, officially marking the commencement of Ramadan. Pirjada Dr. Bakibillah Mishkat Chowdhury highlights that this tradition aligns with the moon sighting in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.
Notably, around 40 villages in Chandpur follow this custom not only for Ramadan fasting but also for observing the two Eids on the same dates as Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, in Noakhali, four villages in Begamganj and Sadar upazila witnessed houses observing fasting in line with Saudi Arabia. This longstanding practice, spanning nearly a century, involves beginning fasting with Taraweeh prayers one day ahead of the regular schedule in Bangladesh. This year, the residents of these villages continue to observe the holy fast one day earlier.
On Sunday night, a simultaneous Taraweeh congregation unfolded in nine mosques across Lakshminarayanpur and Harinarayanpur, Vasantbagh, and Fazilpur villages in the two upazilas of Noakhali district, marking the auspicious occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
