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Eid ul-Fitr 2016: Once in three decades the festival has three dates for celebrations

By FnF Desk | PUBLISHED: 06, Jul 2016, 8:55 am IST | UPDATED: 06, Jul 2016, 9:04 am IST

Eid ul-Fitr 2016: Once in three decades the festival has three dates for celebrations New Delhi: Saudi Arabia has declared that Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on 6 July and many countries including the US, UK, Australia and UAE will observe the end of Ramadan on Wednesday.

But Eid ul-Fitr will be marked on Thursday, 7 July, in some countries such as India, Bangladesh, Malawi and others.

While most countries around the world will celebrate Eid either on 6 or 7 July, millions of Muslims in Turkey and Russia celebrated the feast of end of Ramadan on Tuesday, 5 July.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan extended his wishes to all the Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr in the country and also joined the prayers of Eid at AtaÅŸehir Mimar Sinan Mosque in Istanbul on Tuesday morning, Daily Sabah reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Muslims in his country on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and issued a press note on this occasion.

The Eid celebrations in Turkey and Russia come a day before Saudi Arabia.

The moon was not sighted in Saudi Arabia or any other Gulf countries on Monday, extending the fasting for one more day in most countries.

There are reports stating Pakistan will this year celebrate Eid al-Fitr on the same day as Saudi Arabia, which is on Wednesday.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet on Tuesday in Lahore for the sighting of the moon. The crescent moon, which marks the first day of the month of Shawwal, is likely to be visible in most parts of the country despite partially cloudy weather.

Jammu & Kashmir, Mangalore and Kerala celebrating Eid al-Fitr on July 6, along with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. The rest of India will mark the end of Ramadan on July 7.

Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad, the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, announced on Tuesday that Eid al-Fitr would be celebrated in the state on Wednesday following reports of sighting of the crescent.

Media reports are suggesting that Eid al-Fitr in Pakistan will fall on the same day as Saudi Arabia on July 6 this year, whereas in India it will be celebrated the next day on July 7.

The rare occurance is said to happen once in three decades, which will end Ramadan after 29 fasts in Pakistan while Saudi Arabia will witness all 30 fasts this year. Moon sighting on Tuesday evening will confirm if Pakistan will celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia.

"It can happen once in 30 years. There are precedents of celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the same day. There are chances of repeating the history of Eid-ul-Fitr in Saudi Arabia on completion of 30 days of fasting and that in Pakistan after 29 days", said meteorological expert Shaukat Ali Awan, according to The Nation.

As the crescent moon was not spotted on Monday in countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and others, Eid ul-Fitr in India will be celebrated on July 7. Muslims in the Gulf countries will celebrate Eid al-Fitr on July 6 after completing 30 days of fasting and other countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will observe Eid on July 7.

Eid al-Fitr is an Arabic word, which translates as the "festival of ending the fast," but it is also commonly referred to as the "feast of fasting," "smaller Eid," "Eid al-Saghir," "sugar feast," and "feast of fasting." As the reward for Muslims' devotion to Allah during the month of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr is the day when all Muslims are forgiven for their past sins.

On this day, Muslims are dressed in their best attire and offer prayers of Eid, which is usually held in open grounds. Unlike traditional prayers, the Eid prayers consist of sermon followed by a congregational prayer. There is no audible call for Eid prayers as in the case of five time prayers in a day, but Muslims recite praises of Allah the entire time leading to the prayers.