New Delhi: Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia and UAE on May 2nd as the moon was not sited on Saturday.The UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan and Turkey also announced that the first day of Eid al-Fitr will be May 2, the International Astronomical Center said on Twitter. Countries which marked the beginning of Ramadan on April 2 will thus be fasting for 30 days.


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Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of the tenth month of Islamic calendar called Shawwal, which translates to ‘festival of breaking of the fast.’ The month of Ramadan falls before Shawwal and is considered to be the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It is also the month when the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad. During Ramadan, Muslim fast from pre-dawn to dusk the entire month. They also increase their worship and give alms to the poor and needy.

The festival of Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated after Ramadan. As Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the moon is sighted to mark the commencement of a new month.


India will try sighting the moon on Sunday. And if the crescent appears, the country will celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia, UA and others on Monday. However, chances of Eid falling on Monday are thin as Ramadan is generally observed one day later in India from Saudi Arabia and so is the Eid.