Muslims have begun fasting for the start of the Ramadan holy month in Indonesia.  However, it's not easy deciding when the actual fasting begins.

The Muhammadiyah group, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, told its 30 million followers that Ramadan started last Friday. The government, however, declared the official start as Saturday, when most of the remaining 190 million Indonesians began the dawn-to-dusk fast.

Ramadan's start varies because Muslim countries and groups use different ways of calculating when the new moon crescent is sighted. Muhammadiyah, which uses calendar-based astronomical calculations, believed that the crescent should have appeared after sunset on Thursday. But the government argued it could not be seen by eyes or telescopes, hence Ramadan has to start Saturday.

Dewi gets ready to go to the local Mosque to pray.  She's holding her prayer rug.

The Muslim holy month devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and good deeds culminates with the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Muslims believe God revealed the first verses of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan, which starts with the sighting of the new moon.
The Muslim lunar calendar moves back through the seasons, so Ramadan starts 11 days earlier each year under the Western calendar.