There are two main holidays in

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

that are celebrated by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s worldwide:

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...

and

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...

. The timing of both holidays are set by the lunar

Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar (), also known in English as the Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the Ramad ...

, which is based upon the cycle of the moon, and so is different from the more common, European, solar-based

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

. Every year, the Gregorian dates of the Islamic holidays change. Both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha follow a period of 10 holy days or nights: the last 10 nights of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

for Eid al-Fitr, and the first 10 days of

Dhu al-Hijjah Dhu al-Hijjah (also Dhu al-Hijja ) is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. Being one of the four sacred months during which war is forbidden, it is the month in which the '' Ḥajj'' () takes place as well as Eid al-Adha (). T ...

for Eid al-Adha. The

Night of Power In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from heaven to the world, the first revelation the Islamic prophet Muhammad received from the angel Gabri ...

(Arabic: لیلة القدر,

romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: Laylat al-Qadr), one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, is the holiest night of the year. Conversely, the

Day of Arafah The Day of Arafah () is an Islamic holiday that falls on the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. It is the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and is followed by the holiday of Eid al-Adha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilg ...

, the day before Eid al-Adha, is the holiest day of the Islamic year. There are a number of other days of note as well as festivals, some common to all Muslims, others specific to

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

or branches thereof. Additionally, Friday is considered the holiest day of the week, and, in Islamic tradition, is considered a celebration in itself. Friday prayers (Juma) are congregational prayers held in

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, and Muslims are encouraged to wear clean and refined clothes, perfume, and bathe. It is customary to eat special meals with family on this day.

Holidays

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of

(a month of fasting during daylight hours), and Muslims may perform acts of

zakat Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a relig ...

(charity) on the occasion, which begins after the new moon is sighted for the beginning of the month of

Shawwal Shawwal () is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. It comes after Ramadan and before Dhu al-Qa'da. ''Shawwāl'' stems from the Arabic verb ''shāla'' (), which means to 'lift or carry', generally to take or move things from one place to an ...

. Celebration begins with prayers on the morning of 1 Shawwal, followed by breakfast, and often celebratory meals throughout the day. Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of

, when the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

pilgrimage takes place which lasts for four days. Muslims may perform an act of zakat and friendship by slaughtering a sheep or cow and distributing the meat to family, friends, and the poor. Muslims are also encouraged to be especially friendly and reach out to one another during this period.

Religious practices

Fasting

Muslims celebrate when they believe the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

was first revealed to Muhammed by fasting from dawn to sunset during

, the ninth month of the

. Fasting is considered a purifying experience so that Muslims can gain compassion and deepen their faith in

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. Those with certain health conditions such as diabetes, and children are exempt from fasting. Travelers, and women who are menstruating or nursing a baby, are exempt from fasting but are required to fast later.

Pilgrimage

Umrah

Hajj

Eid

Dates of holidays and other days of note

The Islamic calendar is based on the

synodic period The orbital period (also revolution period) is the amount of time a given astronomical object takes to complete one orbit around another object. In astronomy, it usually applies to planets or asteroids orbiting the Sun, moons orbiting planets, ...

of the Moon's revolution around the Earth, approximately 29 days. The Islamic calendar alternates months of 29 and 30 days (which begin with the new moon). Twelve of these months make up an Islamic year, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Some Gregorian dates may vary slightly from those given, and may also vary by country. See

Notes to table

References

External links

The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia
(with date converter valid from 1937 to 2077) {{Authority control Religious holidays