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Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 in India: Usually, India celebrates Eid a day after Saudi Arabia. But there have been exceptions, too. There have been rare occasions when both Saudi Arabia and India celebrated Eid on the same day. The date will be decided by moon sighting today.
Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 in India: Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries in the Middle East on Friday, March 20. The decision was announced after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted in any of these Muslim nations on Wednesday. This meant that this year, the month of fasting in these countries was 30 days, with the last day today, 19 March.
In India, Thursday, 19 March is the 28th day of Ramadan. Thus, the moon sighting will be organised in India on 19 March, which is the 29th day of Ramadan here.
If the moon is sighted today, Eid in India will be on Friday. Otherwise, Eid will be on Saturday, 21 March, in India.
As has happened in the past, India celebrates Eid a day after Saudi Arabia. But there have been exceptions, too. There have been rare occasions when both Saudi Arabia and India celebrated Eid on the same day.
Islam uses the lunar calendar, which has twelve months. Each month, of 29 or 30 days, begins with the sighting of a new crescent moon called ‘hilal’ in Arabic. The start and end of each month are determined by crescent sighting.
Dates determined by Islamic lunar calendar
Ramadan is the ninth month of the 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 month starts.
Muslim clerics in India said there is a lower chance that Ramadan this year will be 30 days long. Still, it is mandated to sight the crescent after sunset today.
“We will look for crescent after sunset today. Though there are not much chances that the Shawwal moon will be sighted today,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli of the Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow.
Apart from Lucknow, clerics will also take part in moon sighting in other cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Bhopal. In Delhi, the head cleric of Jama Masjid makes the announcement in the evening.
Significance of physical moon sighting
Traditionally, Muslims follow the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, who instructed them to start fasting when they see the moon and break fast when it is sighted again at the end of the month.
Crescent visibility depends on geography, weather conditions and time zones. Hence, different regions have different dates. Even within India, Eid has different dates. It is usually celebrated a day before in Kerala than in other states.
What 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 worldwide. The name literally translates from Arabic as the "Festival of Breaking the Fast."
Though there are not much chances that the 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.
Eid al-Adha or the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ is a commemoration of devotion. The day honours the story of the 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 (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca).
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