The fasting experience in the Russian city of Murmansk is truly unique, as Muslims there fast for only one hour due to the phenomenon of the polar night.
Murmansk is located near the Arctic Circle, where the sun does not rise for several days or even weeks at a time.
This phenomenon presents new challenges for Muslims living in geographical regions with extremely long days or prolonged nights.
Fasting for Just One Hour
As part of this extraordinary experience, tour guide Lalu Satria Malaka explained how he observed fasting for just one hour in Murmansk.
Satria mentioned that he ate his pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) at 12:00 PM noon, and just one hour later, it was time for Iftar (breaking the fast).
This unique time dynamic highlights how closely Suhoor and Iftar times are in this city, creating an unprecedented fasting challenge for Muslims.
Additionally, Satria informed tourists during their city tours that prayer times in Murmansk can overlap in a very distinct manner under these circumstances. In some cases, Fajr (dawn), Maghrib (sunset), and Isha (night) prayers can coincide at nearly the same time, making scheduling prayers an unusual challenge.
Fasting in Northern Regions
Fasting durations vary significantly between northern countries and those near the equator. For example, in Greenland, fasting can last over 16 hours, while in countries like Chile, Muslims fast for 12 hours and 44 minutes only.
Muslims around the world face different fasting challenges during Ramadan. In countries such as Finland and Scotland, fasting hours can exceed 15 hours, while in Arab nations, fasting durations range between 12 hours and 54 minutes to 13 hours and 28 minutes. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the fasting period lasts between 13 to 13.5 hours, offering a different experience.
In another context, Muslims in northern countries such as Greenland and Iceland will experience the longest fasting duration during Ramadan 2025, where they will fast for 16 and a half hours. The fasting periods worldwide in Ramadan 2025 will vary based on the length of daylight in each region. The longer the daylight hours, the longer the fasting duration, and these variations create diverse Ramadan experiences across different parts of the world.
