With Ramadan coming to an end, the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Fitr is fast approaching but exactly when it will be celebrated will depend on the sighting of the moon. Ramadan is a period of fasting for 29 or 30 days, a lunar month. But Muslims will have to wait until the night before Eid to confirm its date.
If the new moon is visible on the night of day 29 then the next day will be Eid. If not fasting will continue for one more day and Muslims will celebrate Eid after 30 days of fasting. Countries that began Ramadan on March 23 will begin looking for the new crescent moon on Thursday, April 20. For countries such as India and Bangladesh who started Ramadan a day later they will begin to look for the crescent moon on Friday, April 21.
The UK’s HM Nautical Almanac Office has predicted the new moon will be visible at 4.13am GMT on Thursday, April 20 but only under certain weather conditions. The International Astronomical Centre also confirmed it was unlikely that any Arab countries would be able to see the new crescent moon on Thursday.
However the majority of countries will be able to see the new moon on the night of Friday, April 21 meaning Eid should begin on Saturday, April 22. For people in Cardiff the moon should be visible from Friday, April 21 with sunset at just after 8.15pm.
Ultimately though, while the ruling bodies of Islamic nations have moon-sighting boards to set their country's key dates, there is no official universal system in the UK. It means some mosques will look for the moon in British skies and some will follow reports from Saudi Arabia and other locations. Saudi Arabia's calculated lunar calendar is saying Eid will be a day earlier, on Friday, April 21.
Here are the moon sighting forecasts globally:
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Mecca is two hours ahead of UK time (BST).
Thursday, April 20 - moon not visible
Friday, April 21 - moon is easily visible. Sunset 6.42pm, moonset 8.05pm (local times)
Saturday, April 22 - moon is easily visible. Sunset 6.43pm, moonset 9.05pm (local times)
Cardiff, Wales
Thursday, April 20 – moon not visible
Friday, April 21 – moon is easily visible. Sunset 8.18pm, moonset 10.23pm (local times)
Saturday, April 22 – moon is easily visible. Sunset 8.20pm, moonset 11.44pm (local times)
Why does the date change?
Each year the Islamic Lunar calendar is usually shorter than the solar calendar by 10-12 days. However, the precise timings and dates for Eid change for each country, depending on the geographical location. The date of Eid is dictated by the sighting of the moon, which means it can’t be predicted with complete accuracy.
There is some debate as to whether the idea of a moon sighting should refer to you physically witnessing the moon in your region, which could be hampered by factors such as weather conditions, or whether to defer to sightings in Saudi Arabia or other regions.
What is Eid al-Fitr?
Eid al-Fitr is a celebration that takes place at the end of Ramadan and translates as "the festival of the breaking of the fast".
Muslims will usually start Eid celebrations by eating a sweet such as a date filled biscuit known as maamoul before attending a prayer service at or near their mosque shortly after dawn. The day often consists of visiting relatives and exchanging gifts as well as donating to charities.
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