Eid-ul-Fitr 2021: Crescent moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eid on May 13 in middle-east

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New Delhi: Eid-ul-Fitr or Eid-al-Fitr will be observed on Thursday (May 13) in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries as the moon was not sighted on Tuesday.

India, which generally celebrates Eid a day later from Saudi, will look for the crescent moon today and if not sighted the country will celebrate Eid on Friday (May 14).

Eid falls on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic calendar Shawwal, which comes after the holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims observe fast from pre-dawn to dusk for a month.

Islamic calendar follows lunar motion unlike the Georgian calendar, hence Ramadan can fall in different seasons over the years.

Eid-ul-Fitr is a day of celebration after the spiritual month of Ramadan in which Muslims try to get closer to Allah through fasting and good deeds. It is a day in which Muslims are grateful for being granted the holy month of Ramadan and all its blessings. They pray for a continued increase in their piety level for the rest of the year.

You cannot observe a fast on Eid-ul-Fitr as it is a day of celebration.

Muslims across the globe perform an Eid prayer in the morning at a congregational mosque, which this year due to COVID restrictions will be performed at home by many families. New clothes are worn and Eidi or Eid gifts are given to younger members of the family by their elders.

Delicious food items are also prepared to mark the occasion. In the Indian subcontinent, many families make a sweet dish called sewayyin for Eid. The feast prepared for the festival can vary depending upon the cultural and social factors of a particular geography.