When Eid Is Celebrated In Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey

World’s 1.8 billion Muslims every year hope for clear skies as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan approaches toward the end, and also the end of one month fast, abstaining from food and drink completely between dawn and sunset.

Year after year the Muslims get taste of fasting in different seasons as the festival is based on lunar calendar and each year Ramadan starts eleven days prior to previous solar year.

Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar and Eid festival is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the year.

Some use astronomical observations to mark the new month while many follow a set Lunar calendar. There are few who looks ahead to see a crescent moon personally in the sky.

This is the reason the festival date differs around the world by one or two days.

Saudi Arabia announce the start and end of the holy month based on the testimonies of members of the public who observe the crescent moon. Many Muslim countries follow it, but Iran abides by a government announcement.

Iraq meanwhile uses mix of both the suits like Shia majority follow the influential cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s announcement while the Sunni minority follow their own clerics.

For the first time in past several years both the Muslim communities celebrated Eid on the same day in Iraq in 2016.

Turkey use astronomical calculations and Muslims in European countries follow the announcement of the leaders of their own communities.