Dates and Origins of Eid al-Fitr

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Eid al-Fitr Dates in 2024, 2025 and 2026

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the following dates:

• Wednesday, April 10, 2024
• Monday, March 31, 2025
• Friday, March 20, 2026

Eid al-Fitr is a three-day Muslim holiday signifying the end of the Holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the tenth month of Shawwal¹. It translates from Arabic as “Festival for Breaking the Fast”¹.

Origin

Eid al-Fitr was first started by the Prophet Muhammed himself when he migrated from Mecca to Medina². It was here that Muhammed told his followers of two new important holidays for prayer and to remember his generosity-- Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha².

Celebration

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated to mark the end of rigorous fasting and prayer throughout the Islamic month of Ramadan³. Because the Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, the fast is broken as soon as the crescent moon is sighted in the night sky and continues throughout the next day³. While the holy month of Ramadan acts as a spiritual cleanse and as a time to give thanks to Allah, Eid al-Fitr is meant to promote family, love, and brotherhood³. In addition, it is meant to welcome back Muslims to the normalcy of everyday life³.

For the first three days of the new month, Shawwal, Muslims attend a prayer at their community Mosque. They will often take a new route home afterward to follow Muhammed's example⁴. Following their return, there is typically a festival characterized by fine clothing, traditional foods, and an exchange of gifts⁴. In some countries, it is also common to slaughter an animal as a sacrifice⁴. During the celebration, Muslims will typically greet each other with the phrase “Eid Mubarak”, or “blessed celebration”⁵.

Eid al-Fitr is typically observed as a public holiday in Islamic nations, such as Saudi Arabia or Qatar⁶. However, this is not the case in non-Islamic countries, although Muslim places of business may have altered hours of operation⁷.