Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 in India: Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Middle East on Friday, March 20. The decision was announced after the Shawwal crescent was not sighted in any of these Muslim countries on Wednesday. This meant that this year the month of fasting in these countries was 30 days, with the last day being today, March 19.
In India, Thursday March 19 is the 28th day of Ramadan. So the moon sighting will take place in India on March 19, which is the 29th day of Ramadan here.
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If the Moon is sighted today, Eid in India will be on Friday. Otherwise, Eid will be on Saturday, March 21 in India.
As has happened in the past, India celebrates Eid a day after Saudi Arabia. But there were also exceptions. There have been rare instances of both Saudi Arabia and India celebrating Eid on the same day.
Islam uses a lunar calendar that has twelve months. Each month begins at 29 or 30 days with the sighting of a new crescent moon called “hilal” in Arabic. The beginning and end of each month is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon.
Dates determined by the Islamic lunar calendar
Ramadan is the ninth month Islamic lunar calendar. Eid-ul-Fitr begins on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth Islamic month after Ramadan. The moon is sighted the night before the new moon begins.
Muslim clerics in India have said there is less chance of this year’s Ramadan being 30 days. Yet today it is ordained to see the crescent after sunset.
“We will look for the crescent today after sunset. Although there is not much chance that the Shawwal moon may appear today,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli of Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow.
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Apart from Lucknow, the clergy will also take part in moon sightings in other cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Bhopal. This was announced in Delhi in the evening by the Chief Cleric of Jama Masjid.
The significance of the physical observation of the Moon
Traditionally, Muslims follow the practice Prophet Muhammadwho ordered them to start fasting when they see the moon and break their fast when they see it again at the end of the month.
The visibility of the crescent depends on geography, weather conditions and time zones. Therefore, different regions have different dates. Even in India, the festival of the festival has different dates. It is usually celebrated a day earlier in Kerala than in other states.
How is Eid-ul-Fitr different from Eid-ul-Adha?
Eid-ul-Fitr or Eid al-Fitr is one of the two major holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world. The name literally translates from Arabic as “Festival of Breaking the Fast”.
Although there is not much chance that Shawwal moon will be sighted today.
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, and the beginning of Shawwal. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, the date shifts by about 10–11 days each year.
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Eid al-Adha or the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ is a reminder of devotion. This day honors the story of Prophet Ibrahim who was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God before a ram was provided in his place. It also marks the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca).
