Festival hub
The Islamic festival year runs on the Hijri calendar – a purely lunar count of twelve months totalling 354 or 355 days, with no intercalary correction. Because it is shorter than the solar year by about eleven days, every Islamic observance moves earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year, cycling through the seasons over roughly 33 years. Ramadan, which fell in mid-March in 2025, shifts to early February by 2027, then drifts into January, December, November, and so on through the decades. This is by design: the Quran (9:36–37) explicitly forbids the kind of intercalation that pre-Islamic Arabs had used, so Hijri months remain decoupled from the seasons.
Two festivals dominate the calendar. Eid al-Fitr ("the festival of breaking the fast") closes Ramadan on 1 Shawwal and is the larger of the two in much of South and Southeast Asia. Eid al-Adha ("the festival of sacrifice") falls on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, immediately after the Day of Arafah, and is the larger Eid in the Arabian Peninsula because it is tied to the Hajj. Beyond the two Eids, the calendar is shaped by Ramadan itself, the Islamic New Year (1 Muharram), Ashura (10 Muharram), Mawlid an-Nabi (the Prophet's birthday on 12 Rabi' al-Awwal in Sunni tradition; 17 Rabi' al-Awwal in much Shia tradition), the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) in the last ten days of Ramadan, and the Night of Ascension (Isra wal Mi'raj) on 27 Rajab.
Islamic observance is global – about 1.9 billion Muslims are spread across more than 50 Muslim-majority countries and substantial minorities everywhere from Russia to Brazil. Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday in over 80 countries, including non-Muslim-majority states like the UK (in some local councils), the United States (in New York City public schools), India, the Philippines, and Singapore. Practices vary widely – the Eid prayer in Mecca's Grand Mosque draws over a million worshippers; in Indonesia, where Eid is called Lebaran, the mudik (mass homeward travel) is the largest annual human migration in Southeast Asia.
The Hijri calendar is observational at heart – the Quranic instruction is to begin the new lunar month when the new crescent moon (hilal) is visually sighted just after sunset. Because cloud cover, atmospheric haze, and observer geography all matter, neighboring countries may declare the start of a month one day apart. Saudi Arabia uses the Umm al-Qura calendar (a calculated approximation refined since 1950) for civil purposes but still defers to the Supreme Court's moon-sighting committee for the start of Ramadan, Shawwal (Eid al-Fitr), and Dhu al-Hijjah (Eid al-Adha). Other regions follow national or local committees: Morocco, South Africa, Pakistan, India, and Indonesia each maintain their own, and may declare Eid one day before or after their neighbours. Astronomical-only calendars – used by some North American Muslim organizations and the European Council for Fatwa and Research – pre-publish dates years ahead.
Eid al-Fitr is the bigger of the two Eids in South Asia, where it is called Ramzan Eid or Meethi (sweet) Eid, with Sheer Khurma the signature dish. In the Gulf and most of Africa, Eid al-Adha is larger – Saudi tradition centers on the Hajj and the qurbani, with meat distributed to family, friends, and the poor in equal thirds. In Turkey, Eid al-Adha is Kurban Bayramı; in Indonesia, Idul Adha; in West Africa, Tabaski. Mawlid is widely observed in South Asia, the Levant, North Africa, Turkey, and Indonesia with processions, recitations, and free meals; some Salafi-influenced communities in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf consider it a religious innovation and abstain.
For another lunar calendar's festival cycle, see the Jewish festival hub. For comparable fasting periods, see Lent in the Christian festival hub.
Why does Ramadan shift earlier each year? Because the Hijri calendar is purely lunar and 354–355 days long, every Islamic month falls about eleven days earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year.
Why do different countries celebrate Eid on different days? Because the start of each Hijri month depends on local moon sighting, which can be affected by weather, geography, and which sighting authority a country follows.
Which Eid is the bigger festival? It depends on region. In South Asia, Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan is larger; in the Arabian Peninsula and most of Africa, Eid al-Adha tied to the Hajj is.
What is the typical Eid greeting? "Eid Mubarak" (blessed Eid) or "Eid Saeed" (happy Eid). In Turkish, "Bayramınız kutlu olsun"; in Bahasa Indonesia, "Selamat Hari Raya".
What happens during Laylat al-Qadr? Muslims spend the night in prayer and Quran recitation, especially on odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan; the 27th night is the most commonly observed.
Tracked events
Eid al-Adha 2026
Islamic New Year (Muharram) 2026
Day of Ashura 2026
Mawlid an-Nabi 2026
Ramadan (start) 2027
Eid al-Fitr 2027
Eid al-Adha 2027
Islamic New Year (Muharram) 2027
Mawlid an-Nabi 2027
