J&K government declares holidays on June 15/16 on account of Jumat-ul-Vida and Eid-ul-Fitr

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday declared holidays on June 15 and June 16 on account of Jumat-ul-Vida and Eid-ul-Fitr respectively.

"In partial modification of Government Order No: 1584-GAD of 2017 and Government Order No: 1585-GAD of 2017 dated: 14-12-2017, the holiday on account of Eid-ul-Fitr shall be observed on 16th June, 2018 (Saturday) instead of 15th June, 2018 (Friday) in the Government Offices, Educational Institutions and under the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881," an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) said.

The order further informed that consequent upon the change of holiday on account of Eid-ul-Fitr and Jumat-ul-Vida shall be observed on June 15, Friday, in the government offices, educational institutions and under the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881.

The Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated after the sighting of the crescent moon which officially ends the month of Ramzan. 

12 months of Islamic calendar carry either 29 or 30 days. Ramzan also has either 29 or 30 days and Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic calendar.

Ramzan is a holy month for the world's nearly 1.5 billion Muslims, many of whom practise the ritual of dawn-to-dusk fasting and prayers.

The Ramzan fast, in which even water is prohibited, falls on especially long summer days this year for Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fasting is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and remind them of those less fortunate. 

Tradition holds that it was during Ramadan that the Prophet Mohammed started receiving revelations of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Ramzan is one of the five "pillars" of Islam.

The festival is marked with feasts and the faithful offers prayers at mosques and idgahs to seek blessings of the divine. People, especially children dress up in their traditional fineries to mark the festival that spreads the message of brotherhood and communal amity.

(With inputs from PTI)