Eid-ul-Fttr is the festival of charity, love, and communal prayer. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal. The exact date of the Eid is subject to moon sighting in India.
Islamic events are deeply rooted with astronomical science. Ramadan is the ninth month of the hijri calendar, ending with sighting the new crescent moon, marking the start of the month of Shawwal. Depending on the moon sighting, the month of Ramadan can be 29 or 30 days.
The Hilal Committees in India, comprising Islamic scholars and astronomers, play a crucial role in determining Eid's date. Large cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, and Lucknow have dedicated teams that monitor the moon's visibility. In South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), moon sighting is expected on Sunday, March 30th. Saudi Arabia follows the Umm al-Qura calendar for civil purposes, but Islamic events such as Eid depend on moon sighting committees.
In the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait), the crescent was sighted expected on March 29th, which means Eid will be celebrated on Sunday. United States and majority western countries will celebrate Eid on the same day as Saudi Arabia.
In India, if Ramadan is a 29-day month, then the Eid-al-Fitr would begin on the first day of the Hijri month of Shawwal, which could be Monday, March 31. But if Ramadan stretches to 30 days, the Eid al-Fitr festivities can then kick off on Tuesday April 1.
Stay tuned for updates.
