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Eid Ul- Fitr, one of the biggest festivals of Muslims is just around the corner and people across the world are gearing up to celebrate the auspicious day with joy and reverence.
However, just like Ramdan, the date of Eid is traditionally dependent on the sighting of the moon, and Muslims around the world are keen to know the date for Chand Raat or Eid-ul-Fitr. Based on the lunar calendar, Eid al-Fitr commences with the sighting of the new crescent moon which brings the end of Ramadan and the onset of the month of Shawwal.
In Saudi Arabia, the UAE moon sighting committee will convene remotely on the evening of May 22, in an attempt to see the new crescent moon. The Saudi Supreme Court will also issue an announcement on Friday regarding the sighting of the moon.
According to a report by The National, if the new moon is spotted, then Eid al-Fitr will follow on Saturday, May 23 and if not, then it will be celebrated a day later on Sunday, May 24.
Astronomers from the International Astronomical Centre, based in Abu Dhabi, also said they anticipated Eid Al Fitr would fall on Sunday, May 24, as per the report.
Unlike the Gregorian calendar followed by the West, the Islamic calendar is lunar that is, based on the moon. Since lunar months are shorter than solar months, Muslim’s holy month of Ramadan, which takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic year, occurs approximately 11 days earlier every year depending on when the moon is sighted and hence, varying from country to country by about a day.
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