Eid al-Fitr – EVERY year millions of Muslims around the UK and the world celebrate Eid.
The festival is known in full as Eid al-Fitr. Here’s the lowdown…
What is Eid al-Fitr?
Eid or Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, which is a month of fasting that started on May 27 and will finish on Saturday June 24 (TODAY).
Eid kickstarts the month of Shawwal, which begins with a feast to end the period of fasting.
The celebration is a public holiday in many Muslim countries, but is not one in the UK, despite a campaign for it to be recognised back in 2014.
During Eid, Muslims will often purchase new clothes for the occasion, and take part in festivals and celebrations.
Many will wake up early to pray at a mosque or outdoor prayer venue.
Gifts and cards are often exchanged among friends and family.
When is Eid al-Fitr 2017?
This year, Eid starts on Sunday June 25 and marks the start of a month of celebration.
The dates can be adjusted slightly nearer the time due to lunar sightings and changes each year.
This is because the Islamic calendar – known as the Umm al-Qura calendar – is based on the moon’s cycle, whereas the Gregorian one is determined by the sun.
As the two don’t align, the Islamic dates move back by 11 days each year.
Is there another Eid celebration in the calendar?
As well as Eid al-Fitr, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha.
Eid al-Adha is expected to take place on September 1 this year which falls in the middle of the 12th and final month in the Islamic calendar.
The celebration revolves around when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as a sign of his faith.
It’s similar to the Christian and Jewish stories in which God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, but spared him from doing so.
During this time, Muslims traditionally sacrifice animals, in Britain this is done in slaughterhouse, and the meat is divided up among friends, family and the needy.
Why do the dates of Eid al-Fitr change each year?
The Islamic calendar is different from the widely-used Gregorian calendar.
It is based on the moon’s cycle, whereas the Gregorian one is determined by the sun.
As the two don’t align, the Islamic dates move back by 11 days each year.
The day is set when a new moon is spotted – but there is little agreement within the faith about whether the moon must be spotted with the Nak3d eye or if it should be seen in the country where the celebrations are occurring.
