Eid-ul-Fitr 2023: Saudi Arabia confirms Shawwal moon sighting, announces first day of Eid

The crescent or the shawwal moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia and Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations are in order. The rozedars will be ending the month-long fast in the country and people will celebrate the festival on April 21. With the moonsighting, social media was flooded with Chand Mubarak and Eid Mubarak messages, with people from Islamic community wishing each other on the festive occasion of Eid. 

The crescent moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, thus marking the first day of Eid celebrations as April 21. Eid will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia and UAE on April 21.Following this, Indians will be observing the festival on April 22 and it will be declared a national holiday. The news of the moonsighting was confirmed by the Astronomy Center in a tweet shared on Thursday evening. 

عاجل: السعودية تعلن أن الجمعة 21 إبريل يوم عيد الفطر السعيد pic.twitter.com/YRG7PKn2BD

— مركز الفلك الدولي (@AstronomyCenter) April 20, 2023

Eid-ul-Fitr 2023 celebrations

After fasting or keeping roza for a month, Eid-ul-Fitr will be marked by a festive atmosphere. People clean their houses, prepare traditional Eid recipes and indulge in merry making with extended families. Eid-ul-Fitr or Eid al-Fitr celebrations follow the end of Ramadan which lasts 29 or 30 days based on when the crescent moon is sighted. Muslims follow a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. 

Earlier in the day, Grand Mufti Nasir-ul Islam said that since the moon was not sighted onn Thursady, Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday. So far, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Sultanate of Brunei have announced that Eid al-Fitr will be on Saturday, April 22, due to the lack of confirmation of the sighting of the crescent this Thursday evening. This was also announced by the bodies representing Muslims in Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Japan.