{"id":2332,"date":"2017-06-26T18:29:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T18:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/somalicentral.com\/news\/?p=2332"},"modified":"2017-07-02T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T19:01:07","slug":"when-is-eid-al-fitr-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somalicentral.com\/news\/when-is-eid-al-fitr-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"When is Eid al-Fitr this year?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moon sighting committees convened on June 24 to look for Eid’s, while astronomers predicted it invisible in Asia.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court has\u00a0announced\u00a0that, based on confirmed sightings of Eid’s new moon crescent, the first day of Eid al-Fitr<\/span> 1438 fasting will be Sunday, June 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

But not all Muslim countries<\/span>\u00a0will observe Eid al-Fitr from Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court had called for sighting of the Eid moon on Saturday, which is the 29th day of Ramadan<\/span> for Saudi Arabia and the 33 countries that started observing the fasting month on May 27<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the moon is seen on Saturday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr will be the next day, Sunday, June 25. Otherwise, Ramadan carries on to 30 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

Official Eid announcements are usually made within two hours from sunset because\u00a0when the moon is new, it rises and sets with the sun (or within an hour).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Astronomers calculated the new moon birth to be at 02:31 GMT and that in Muslim-majority countries the moon will set below the horizon within 19-26 minutes from sunset.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Visibility of the moon crescent depends on the sighting location and on meteorological conditions. At midday on Saturday moon-sighters in Jordan posted a\u00a0photo<\/span>\u00a0of the new moon\u00a0taken with a telescope.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Visibility of the crescent moon on June 24 using the Yallop criterion [UK Hydrographic Office<\/p><\/div>\n

On June 24, the moon was predicted visible to the naked eye in\u00a0Peru<\/span>, Ecuador, and islands in the Pacific Ocean. It was also expected visible with optical aids in other parts of\u00a0Latin America<\/span>, in parts of the\u00a0United States<\/span>\u00a0and in parts of Africa<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turkey<\/span>, and Muslim communities in Australia<\/span>, Europe, and North America ( ISNA<\/span>) observed Eid al-Fitr from Sunday, based on astronomical calculations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely,\u00a0Bangladesh<\/span>, India and Pakistan started Ramadan on May 28 and therefore were on the lookout for the Eid moon on Sunday June 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

In those countries, local moon sighting with the naked eye is the only method accepted to determine the beginning of the lunar month, whereas, in Saudi Arabia<\/span> and most Arab countries, moon sighting with telescopes is also accepted.<\/span><\/p>\n

On June 25, the moon was expectedly visible<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with the naked eye all over the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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At the International Hijri Calendar Unity Congress held in Istanbul in May 2016,\u00a0members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation voted in favour of adopting a unified lunar calendar.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, local sighting continues to be the default policy in each country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Local greetings\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Eid Mubarak in Arabic means “blessed celebration” and is a common greeting for\u00a0Eid al-Fitr. Other greetings include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n