The first likely day of Eid Al Fitr has been revealed by the Emirates Astronomical Society.
According to its experts, Eid will fall on Friday, April 21, 2023.
This means that Ramadan will last exactly 29 days followed by the Eid Al Fitr holiday between Ramadan 29 and Shawwal 3 inclusive.
In practice, should the moon sightings be correct, this means that the first Eid holiday for all of us will from Thursday, April 20, 2023 through to Sunday, April 23, 2023.
However, the exact start of Eid Al Fitr will be confirmed officially by the Moon-sighting committee – things can change…
In turn, this means that for Eid Al Adha, the first day of the Islamic month Dhul Hijjah should be on Monday, June 19, 2023 so that the Eid Al Adha holiday will likely be on Wednesday, June 28.
Arafat Day (which is one day before Eid) will, if everything follows the current moon sightings data, be on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
Based on this, the second Eid holidays, those for Eid Al Adha holiday, assuming all goes to plan with the current moon sightings, will be from Tuesday, June 27, 2023 until Friday, June 30, 2023.
These dates, however, will again need to be finally confirmed by the Moon-sighting committee.
The science behind the final calculation is complex and based on the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar has only either 354, or 355, days, rather than the 365 days of the Gregorian calendar. As a result, both Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr fall up to 10 days earlier each year.
The first day of Eid Al Fitr coincides with the first day of the lunar calendar month of Shawwal.
We now must all wait, with the usual excitement and anticipation, for the Moon Sightings Committee to confirm the dates.
Watch this space!
UAE Holidays – including the new potential dates, subject to further Moon Sightings
- April 20 to 23: Eid Al Fitr
- June 27: Arafat Day
- June 28 to 30: Eid Al Adha
- July 21: Islamic New Year
- September 29: Prophet Mohammed’s birthday
- December 2 and 3: UAE National Day
Further information
You can visit the Emirates Astronomical Society here.
Visit the private Emirates Astronomical Observatory for news on Moon sightings and key developments here.
GEMS World Academy in Dubai is the only School in the UAE to have its own Planetarium to even better understand the wonders of the Moon. You can find out more here.
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