Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha Explained

Eid is the name of two major Muslim festivals: Eid al-Fitr, which ends the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which falls during the Hajj season. Both move to a different date on our calendar each year.

What is Eid al-Fitr?

Eid al-Fitr, the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” celebrates the end of Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month that follows Ramadan on the Islamic calendar (Britannica).

This section covers Eid al-Fitr only. Eid al-Adha, covered below, is a separate holiday with its own traditions.

What is Eid al-Adha?

Eid al-Adha, the “Festival of Sacrifice,” is the second of the two major Eids. It falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, during the same period as the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca (Britannica).

Many families who can afford it mark the day with a ritual animal sacrifice and share the meat with relatives, friends and people in need (Britannica). This page gives a general overview. It does not cover every regional or family variation in how the day is marked.

Why does the date of Eid change every year?

Both Eids follow the Hijri calendar, a lunar calendar of twelve months that runs about 11 days shorter than our solar calendar each year. That shift moves Islamic holidays about 11 days earlier on our calendar every year, cycling them through all four seasons over about 33 years (Britannica).

The exact start of the new month depends on sighting the crescent moon, which some communities confirm by direct observation and others confirm using astronomical calculation. Because of this, and because moon visibility differs by location, the date can differ from country to country and even between communities in the same country (Britannica).

This page gives no specific date for a future Eid, because the date depends on the moon and on each country’s method for confirming it. To find the date for a specific year and location, check with a local mosque or Muslim community organization.

What do people do to celebrate?

Common practices include special congregational prayers, wearing new or best clothing, and visiting family and friends. Before Eid al-Fitr prayers, most Muslims who have enough food for their needs give zakat al-fitr, a mandatory charity collected before the prayer and distributed to people in need so everyone can take part in the celebration (Brandeis University Center for Spiritual Life).

Food traditions vary widely: many communities share special sweets or dishes, and families often visit different relatives on different days of the holiday. Children in many families receive small gifts of money or new clothes, though the specific customs and amounts differ from home to home. This page names practices that are common in many places. It does not describe every country’s or community’s customs, which differ by region, family and tradition, and readers should not treat any single practice described here as universal.

Where to learn more

Eid is one of many holidays and celebrations covered in our holidays section, alongside other cultural and religious observances like St. Martin’s Day and Guy Fawkes Night. For more about cultures and traditions around the world, see world cultures.

Sources

• Britannica. Eid al-Fitr
• Britannica. Eid al-Adha
• Brandeis University, Center for Spiritual Life. Eid al-Fitr