What Eid ul Fitr is

The festival that ends Ramadan, beginning with a morning prayer and a compulsory charitable payment, zakat al-fitr, made before it.

The name means the feast of breaking the fast, and it is the first daytime meal in a month.

When it falls, and why the date moves

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. The date follows the Islamic lunar calendar, which is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year. That is why it arrives earlier each year and works its way through all four seasons over roughly three decades. Dates published in advance are calculated; the confirmed date depends on the sighting of the moon and can differ by a day between countries.

It is grouped here under Islamic, alongside the other observances that share its calendar.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.