In 2026, the first day of the Ramazon (Ramadan) fast for Muslims in Uzbekistan began on February 19. The last day is March 20, right before Navruz.
This text is intended for those who live in or travel around Uzbekistan and do not observe the fast but want to understand how Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are observed. In a country where Ramazon Hayiti (Eid al-Fitr) is an official holiday, it is also important for non-Muslims to know the basic rules and traditions. The text does not discuss religious dogma; its purpose is to describe the key details of the fast and the holiday.
The month of fasting Ramadan
Ramadan is the month of obligatory fasting for Muslims, one of the five pillars of Islam. It lasts 29 (or 30) days. To mark the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the Festival of Breaking the Fast, which is known by different names in different countries — Eid al-Fitr, Uraza Bayram, Ro’za Hayiti, or Ramazon Hayiti.
The pillars of Islam
The pillars of Islam are the following: the shahada — the declaration of faith affirming monotheism and recognizing the prophetic mission of Muhammad; salah — the five daily prayers; zakat — a religious tax given to those in need; hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca; and the already mentioned fast during the month of Ramadan.
What is Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Islamic calendar is lunar, and months begin with the new moon. The lunar year has 354 days — about 10 days and 21 hours shorter than the solar year — so Ramadan begins 10 or 11 days earlier each year and moves through the seasons.
The first day of Ramadan is determined by astronomical calculations or by direct moon sighting, or it may be set based on an announcement by authoritative figures in the Muslim world. Therefore, its dates may differ from country to country.
In Arabic, “Ramadan” means “scorching heat,” “burning,” “hot.” However, Ramadan can also fall in winter.
What Muslims must not do during Ramadan
It is believed that it was during Ramadan that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet told his followers that the gates of Paradise would remain open throughout the month, while the gates of Hell would be closed. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours, from dawn until sunset. According to Islamic teachings, Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink during the day, engage in sexual relations, or smoke. There are other restrictions as well.
Complete abstention from basic human needs allows Muslims to demonstrate the strength of their faith. During the fast, they strive to control instincts and passions. Along with external purity, the fasting person also seeks greater inner purity — freedom from thoughts and actions that defile a person. It is said that the fast of a Muslim whose deeds and thoughts are impure and not pleasing to God is considered invalid.
However, certain groups are exempt from the obligation of fasting, with conditions: the mentally ill, children, the sick, the elderly, travelers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women.
How those who do not fast should behave
Those who do not observe the fast are not advised to eat, drink, or smoke demonstratively during daylight hours. In Islamic countries (and unofficially in some cities in Israel), eating, drinking, smoking, and playing loud music in public places during the fast is prohibited. I haven’t heard loud music, but cafés and restaurants in Tashkent remain open during the day. Uzbekistan is a secular state.
What should be done during Ramadan
During Ramadan, Muslims perform prayers more diligently, read the Quran, do good deeds, and give voluntary charity (sadaqa) and obligatory alms (zakat).
What are iftar and suhur
The early morning meal during Ramadan is called suhur, and the evening meal — breaking the fast — is called iftar. Suhur and iftar replace the traditional three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
Iftar begins immediately after sunset. Delaying the meal is discouraged. The fast is traditionally broken with dates or water. That is why so many varieties of dates are sold in Tashkent stores during Ramadan, some at fairly affordable prices. It is customary to quote the Prophet Muhammad, who said: “When one of you breaks his fast, let him break it with dates, and if he cannot find dates, then with water, for indeed it is purifying.”
The first three days of the following month, Shawwal, are celebrated as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” or Eid al-Fitr.
Eid al-Fitr, or Ramazon Hayiti, or Roʻza hayiti
Roʻza in Uzbek means “uraza”, or the Muslim fast during the month of Ramadan (Ramazon in Uzbek). Roʻza hayiti is the holiday marking the end of the fast (hayit means a religious festival). There is a greeting: “Hayityngiz muborak boʻlsin!“, which translates as “Happy holiday!”
The festival is also called Ramazon hayiti, or Eid al-Fitr.
The holiday celebrated after Ramadan falls on the first day of Shawwal. Festive prayers (namaz) are performed in all mosques across Uzbekistan.
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one to three days depending on the country. In Uzbekistan, the first day of the holiday is a non-working day.
How to congratulate with Ramazon Hayiti correctly
Believers congratulate each other with the words: “Eid Mubarak!”, meaning “Blessed holiday!”
How Eid al-Fitr is celebrated in Uzbekistan
Fasting is forbidden on this day. Money or food is given to the poor and those in need as an obligatory act of charity.
On Ramazon Hayiti in Uzbekistan, after visiting the mosque, Muslims visit one another, treat guests to plov and sweets, visit cemeteries, and make donations.
Plov and traditional pastries — kush-tili (fried dough twists), bogursok, orama, chak-chak — are prepared on the evening before Eid al-Fitr. At least in the past (and perhaps still in some places), neighbors exchanged these dishes with one another. I remember how in Chilanzar (a district in Tashkent) we were brought a large bowl of plov with pastries placed on top.
If you live or have lived in Uzbekistan and have noticed other traditions, write about them.