Muslims across the world look to the skies as crescent moon sightings mark the holiday.
Eid al-Fitr is a special occasion for Muslim and is a time for celebration with family and loved ones. Eid ul Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan, a period of month-long fasting for Muslims around the world, and the start of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.
Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic holiday festival marking the end of Ramadan, the month when devout Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is a time for increased worship, charity and good deeds, and typically sees festive gatherings to break the fast. Eid al-Fitr means the feast, or festival, of breaking the fast. Whereas Eid al-Adha is known as the “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid,” that honors the devotion of Prophet Ibrahim.
The celebration marks the end of fasting along with exchanging greetings and gifts.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom (UK) are observing Eid Al Fitr on Thursday, March 19, 2026 as their first day of the festival.
But a large number of countries have declared Friday, March 20, 2026, as the first day of Eid after completing 30 days of Ramadan or confirming the moon sighting. Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, GamGuinea, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Yemen have confirmed Friday, March 20, as the first day of Eid Al Fitr 1447 celebration.
However, Singapore has confirmed that Saturday, March 21, 2026, will be the first day of Eid Al Fitr.
Several countries have yet to make an official announcement, including Gabon, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Suriname.
Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania, along with several countries in Central Asia and Africa will attempt to sight the Shawwal crescent on Thursday evening to determine whether Eid falls on Friday or Saturday. Final confirmations in these countries will depend on official announcements by national moon-sighting committees.
