Zanzibar's Islamic majority means Ramadan reshapes daily life across the island for a full month each year — prayer, fasting, and a strong pull toward community, from the streets of Stone Town to the quiet coastal villages near Matlai.
The Spirit of Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, marking when Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It's one of the Five Pillars of Islam: a month of fasting from dawn to sunset — no food, drink, or other physical needs during daylight — meant to build reflection, spiritual discipline, and a closer relationship with God.
Fasting isn't required of everyone: children, menstruating women, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the sick, and travellers are exempt, though some choose to fast anyway. Some Zanzibaris extend their own fast by a week or two afterward as an additional act of devotion. Across the island, business hours shift to accommodate it, and — as anyone working in hospitality here will tell you — coordinating iftar around a work shift is genuinely difficult.
At sunset, the call to prayer signals iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. Families gather over dates, fresh juice, and dishes like urojo (a tangy soup) and mishkaki (grilled meat skewers) — and it's common to see food shared with neighbours and those in need. Just before dawn comes a second meal, sahur, eaten before the fast resumes.
When Ramadan Falls
Because the Islamic calendar is about 354 days long and lunar, Ramadan starts roughly 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar, and its exact start depends on an official moon sighting that can shift by a day or two. The next occurrence is expected around early February to early March 2027 — check nearer the time, since the date is only confirmed shortly before it arrives. Throughout, people greet each other with "Ramadan Kareem" ("have a generous Ramadan"), "Ramadan Mubarak" ("blessed Ramadan"), and later "Eid Mubarak" ("blessed festival").
Evening Prayers and Night Markets
After iftar, many head to the mosque for Taraweeh, the special nightly prayers of Ramadan — mosques like Masjid Malindi and Masjid Muzammil in Stone Town fill with worshippers. For visitors, it's also a good time to visit the night markets: at Forodhani Gardens, stalls sell Zanzibar pizza, spiced kebabs, and freshly grilled seafood late into the evening.
Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr, marked by a special morning prayer where crowds gather in their best clothes — in the days before, Stone Town's fabric shops fill with women choosing fabric for new outfits. After prayers, families visit each other, exchange gifts, and share a proper feast: pilau, biryani, and sweets like kaimati (fried dough in syrup). Children receive Eidiyah, small gifts of money. Celebrations often run for several days, with beach gatherings and cultural performances alongside the family visits.
Should You Visit During Ramadan?
Yes, with a little awareness. Some independent restaurants outside hotels reduce their hours, and it isn't permitted to eat, drink, or smoke visibly in public during daylight — even sitting in a car. Hotels and restaurants that serve international guests, Matlai included, continue operating as usual. Dressing modestly and being mindful of that one rule is really the whole adjustment; the reward is a genuinely different, more communal side of the island, and Eid itself — with its feasts and celebrations — is a particularly good time to be here.
Ramadan at Matlai
We try to make the month easier on our own team wherever we can. Gardeners start earlier, as soon as it's light, and take a longer midday break in the heat. Kitchen staff spend the day surrounded by the smell of food they can't eat — when tasting a dish for seasoning, they spit rather than swallow. Butlers serve drinks all day without drinking themselves. It asks a lot of the whole team, and it shows in how seriously they take it.
Whether it's an iftar meal, the night markets, or Eid itself, Ramadan in Zanzibar is a genuinely different way to see the island — and a good look at the culture and hospitality behind everyday life here.