The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is set to begin. Here's what you need to know about the period and how it's observed.

Ramadan is a time of togetherness for Muslims, as they fill mosques for hours of prayer and share large, lavish meals with family, friends and neighbors after days of dawn-to-dusk fasting.

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan starts tonight, Feb. 28, and lasts until March 29. The monthlong observance of Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer and reading the Qurʾān. According to Islam, those who observe the holy month of Ramadan with fasting, prayer and faithful intention are forgiven by God for their past sins.

Ramadan will now last for 29 or 30 days, ending around March 30. Muslims will observe Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr, the official holiday marking the end of the holy month. Each year,

Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.

Senegalese Muslims gather in the large Massalikoul Djinane mosque in Dakar to pray on the eve of the first day of Ramadan. High on their prayers is the economic and social success of their country. Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected last March,