When is the Eid al-Fitr 2016 holiday?
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for three days, but holidays range from four days in Pakistan to 11 days in Saudi Arabia.
Update: this article is about Eid al-Fitr. Click here for Eid al-Adha 2016 dates.
The Eid al-Fitr festival will be celebrated by Muslims around the world once again this week, marking the end of holy month of Ramadan 2016. Eid al-Fitr in Arabic literally means “festival of breaking the fast”.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have announced that Wednesday, July 6, will be the first day of Eid.
As per Muslim tradition, the beginning of the Eid can only be confirmed based on sightings of the new moon every year.
In the United States, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) announced that Eid al-Fitr will be observed on July 6, based on astronomical predictions.
The charity groups in Canada and the United Kingdom, the Islamic Relief Canada and Islamic Relief UK, also predict the Eid to be on July 6.
In the UK, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan will host an Eid food festival in Trafalgar Square on Saturday July 9.
Holiday tradition
Traditionally, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for three days and is an official holiday in all Muslim-majority countries.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had announced that Turkey would observe a nine-day public holiday for Eid, from Saturday July 2 until Sunday July 10.
Bangladesh and the UAE also announced a nine-day public holiday, effectively starting from July 1.
In Saudi Arabia, the public holiday for Eid will be the longest, lasting 11 days and starting from Thursday, June 30. The public sector holiday will also be 11 days in Qatar, but starting on Sunday, July 3.
Oman will start Eid from Tuesday July 5 and it will last five days. Meanwhile, Pakistan has announced the shortest Eid holiday, starting from Tuesday July 5 and lasting for only four days.
Eid is also a public holiday in Philippines since 2002 as mandated by the Republic Act 9177.
Public holidays
To recap, the following public holidays have been officially announced so far:
– Saudi Arabia: 11-day Eid holiday, from Thursday June 30 until Sunday July 10.
– Qatar: 11-day Eid holiday, from Sunday July 3 until Monday July 11, including the July 1-2 weekend.
– UAE and Bangladesh: Nine-day Eid holiday, from Friday July 1 until Saturday July 9.
– Oman: Five-day holiday, from Tuesday July 5, until Saturday July 9.
– Pakistan: Four-day holiday, from Tuesday July 5, until Friday July 8.
– Turkey: Nine-day Eid holiday, from Saturday July 2 until Sunday July 10.