Is Eid ul Fitr a national holiday? Read on to know the significance of the festival

Eid ul Fitr, also known as the Festival of Breaking the Fast, is celebrated by the Muslim community living all over the world. The auspicious day arrives at the end of the Ramadan month that is observed with dawn to sunset fasting by all the Muslims. The day is celebrated either on the 29th or the 30th day of Ramadan depending upon the sighting of the moon. 

Is Eid ul Fitr a national holiday?

As Eid Ul Fitr is celebrated all over India, the festival has been added to the national holidays’ list. This year, Eid ul Fitr has been slated to celebrate on Friday, May 14, 2021, which is subject to change on the sighting of the moon. 

The festival is considered to be one of the important occasions for Muslims all over the world as they believed that Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad during the Ramadan period. On this day, Muslims offer prayers called Salat Al Eid and visit mosques. Many of them even perform charitable offerings to the poor called Zakat Al Fitr and greet their friends and families by wishing them Eid Mubarak. The festival is not only celebrated in India but also in a number of other countries such as Iran, Turkey, Arab Gulf states, Yemen, Egypt, Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Albania, Taiwan and several others places. 

The festival begins during the sunset after the sighting of the moon and in many countries, it is even celebrated for two to three days. Muslims do not fast on Eid and many of them offer money to the poor before performing their prayers on this day, followed by a lavish feast of a variety of delicious dishes. 

National Holidays list 2021

Eid ul-Fitr- Friday, 14 May 2021*

Eid al-Adha- Wednesday, 21 July 2021*

Independence Day- Sunday, 15 August 2021

Gandhi Jayanti- Saturday, 2 October 2021

Dussehra- Friday, 15 October 2021

Prophet's Birthday- 18–19 October 2021*

Diwali- Thursday, 4 November 2021

Christmas Day- Saturday, 25 December 2021

(The dates for Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are subject to change based on moon sightings; Prophet's birthday will be observed when the sun sets on October 18 and will continue till the sun sets on October 19.)

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK