Muslims around the world marked Tuesday the start the daytime fasting month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening.
It is also a time of prayers, during which Muslims typically converge in large numbers at mosques, especially at night.
In the Philippines, Islam is practiced by roughly 10% of the population and is the second largest religion after Christianity.
But due to COVID-19 pandemic, many Muslim-majority countries have imposed restrictions on worshippers, including night-time curfews, and called for prayers to be performed at home.
"The month of Ramadan is upon us and the world is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic," Saudi King Salman said in a statement released by state television.
"We thank God for the scientific efforts in developing vaccines to curb the pandemic."
The starting date of Ramadan, the holiest Muslim month, is set by both lunar calculations and physical sightings to determine the beginning of a new month.
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