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Millions of people across South-East Asia have begun the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and abstain from smoking and having sex in order to focus on becoming closer to God.
In the Muslim lunar calendar, months begin only when the new moon is sighted, which can lead to variations of a day or two.
Several Middle Eastern nations declared the month would begin early on Monday, but countries including Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore began Ramadan on Tuesday, after failing to see the crescent moon the previous night.
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also began Ramadan on Tuesday, as did Iran and Jordan.
During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset.
A sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast.
At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.
The fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor.
Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation. They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fighting or cursing during the holy month.
Ramadan a time of joy and profit
In Indonesia, where 90 per cent of the population of 277 million practice Islam, celebrations range from colourful torchlight parades, to cleaning family graves, to preparing food for pre-dawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as "iftars".
Each region in the archipelago nation has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan.
The government set the start of the holiday for Tuesday after teams from more than 100 regions failed to sight the new moon on Sunday.
Mosques flooded with devotees offering the evening prayers known as "tarawih" on Monday night.
Ramadan is also an exciting time for businesses.
Hotels, restaurants and cafes all prepare special Ramadan promotions and shoppers flock to shopping centres for new clothes and home decorations for the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Calls to curb food waste
In Malaysia, mosques began preparing bubur lambuk, a hearty traditional porridge dish made with meat and spices that is distributed for free to the public during Ramadan.
But at the same time, critics urged people to keep their iftars to a reasonable size.
The Consumers' Association of Penang says food waste increases by up to 20 per cent during Ramadan.
Some 90,000 tonnes of food were reportedly thrown out across the country during Ramadan last year, it said.
"Ramadan is supposed to be a month of intense devotion for Muslims but for some, it has become a month of feasting and wasteful spending," the association's president Mohideen Abdul Kader said on Tuesday.
"Now, more than 2 million Palestinians are facing starvation so we should not be throwing away huge quantities of food in the holy month," he said.
AP/ABC