Eid al-Fitr

How the day begins

Watches for the new moon set the date. When the thin crescent is finally seen, the fast is over and the feast can start; in Bangladesh, families call that evening Chand Raat and celebrate the night. Fasting is forbidden on Eid itself. Before anyone prays, each household owes zakat al-Fitr, a payment that buys food for people in need. The special prayer has just two units, or rakats, and may only be said in congregation, so crowds gather in fields, large halls, or mosques. No call to prayer announces it. Instead, worshippers repeat takbirs, the words Allahu Akbar, God is greatest, with hands lifted to the ears; Sunni schools count six or twelve of these, Shia Muslims eleven, and a sermon follows the prayer.

Origins in Medina

Muslim tradition credits Muhammad himself with founding the feast. A report handed down by his companion Anas ibn Malik tells that, on reaching Medina after leaving Mecca, the Prophet found residents enjoying two days of recreation each year. He is said to have replied that God had set two days of festivity in their place: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The story places the festival's beginnings in Medina, in the early years of Islam, and it has been kept ever since as one of the two great celebrations of the Muslim calendar. Whether the prayer is obligatory or merely strongly recommended is a matter jurists still weigh, and rulings differ from place to place.

Sweets and shared tables

Food gives the day one of its affectionate nicknames: the Sugar Feast. In Turkey, plates of baklava and Turkish delight are ready, and children who call at doors with good wishes leave with candy or chocolates. In Bahrain, the Eid dinner may be quzi or machboos, rice dishes served beside halwa or khanfroosh. Omanis slow-cook lamb, called shuwa, and drink coffee with it, while in Yemen the favourite snack is bint al-sahn. In the Gulf, majlises, the reception rooms where guests are welcomed, set out fruit, dates, tea, and coffee for callers. Cookies called ma'amoul and kahk are popular in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. Because the feast follows a month of going without, sweetness leads the table.

Around the world

In Turkey the holiday is a bayram, called Ramazan Bayramı or Şeker Bayramı. People buy bayramlık, new clothes kept for the occasion, visit relatives and neighbours, and pay respects at cemeteries. Mosques, minarets, and fountains are lit at night, with concerts of Sufi music, dervish dancing, and shadow puppets. Saudi families gather at the eldest relative's home, where children line up to receive money from each adult. In Jordan, lanterns called fanous hang in homes; in Lebanon, musicians play on the Beirut waterfront. Gulf men may wear a new thobe, while Bahraini women paint henna on hands or feet, and city buildings in the UAE glow with festive lights.

What the day means

The feast gathers several ideas into one morning: the close of a month of restraint, a debt of charity, and the mending of relationships. People are encouraged to forgive one another and to ask pardon in return. Homes are decorated, best clothes are worn, and visits run from house to house, so the day is measured in handshakes and shared plates. Where Muslims are numerous, schools and workplaces close to make room for gatherings. Customs differ from country to country, yet the same centre shows everywhere: generosity, hospitality, and the bonds of family and neighbourhood.

How Eid al-Fitr is kept

The new moon ends Ramadan and opens the feast; in Bangladesh the sighting night is called Chand Raat. In the morning, Muslims gather in fields, halls, community centres, or mosques for a short prayer of two units, valid only in congregation and marked by repeated takbirs, praises of God said with raised hands. A sermon follows, then visits: relatives and friends, homes decorated, money given to children, tables of sweets. Before praying, each person pays zakat al-Fitr, charity for the poor. The holiday lasts one to three days by country, and fasting on the day itself is forbidden.

When and where

The feast begins at sunset on the evening the crescent moon of Shawwal is first seen, right after Ramadan ends. If clouds or a bright sky hide the moon that night, celebrations start a day later. Because the Muslim calendar follows the moon, the date moves across the Gregorian year; in 2026 it lands around 20 to 22 March, and in 2027 around 9 to 11 March.

Kept by Muslim communities in nearly every country. The customs described here come from Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Levant, with Bangladesh marking the moon night. Where Muslims are many, the day is a public holiday, with schools and workplaces shut and the morning prayer drawing crowds to fields, halls, and mosques.

What Eid al-Fitr means

To those who keep it, the day marks the finish of a month of self-restraint. Its first duty is charity: money for the poor and needy, paid before the prayer. People are urged to forgive and to seek pardon. Visits, gifts, and decorated homes tie families and neighbours closer, and tables of sweets express the relief of eating freely again.

On the table

• baklava
• Turkish delight
• ma'amoul
• kahk
• quzi
• machboos
• halwa
• bint al-sahn

Days Eid al-Fitr is marked

Eid al-Fitr dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.

Questions people ask about Eid al-Fitr

See also

DiwaliA five-day festival of lights celebrated across India and its diaspora to mark the victory of light over darkness.MawlidAn annual festival marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked by poetry, processions and feasts.Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.ChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared meals

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• New York City adds two Muslim holidays to public school calendarThe Guardian, Article
• Eid al-Fitr 2019: Everything you need to knowAl Jazeera, Article
• New York City adds two Muslim holidays to public school calendarThe Guardian, Article
• Eid al-Fitr 2019: Everything you need to knowAl Jazeera, Article

• Eid al-Fitr on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-07.