Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 in India: Will it be March 20 or 21? Moon sighting timings explained
Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 in India: Usually, India celebrates Eid a day after Saudi Arabia. But there have been rare occasions when both Saudi Arabia and India celebrated Eid on the same day.
If the moon is sighted today, Eid in India will be celebrated on Friday.
Otherwise, Eid will fall on Saturday, 21 March.
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EID-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Middle East countries on Friday, 20 March. The decision was announced after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted on Wednesday.
This means Ramadan in these countries will last 30 days, with the last day falling on 19 March.
In India, Thursday, 19 March is the 29th day of Ramadan, and the moon sighting will take place the same day.
If the moon is sighted today, Eid in India will be celebrated on Friday. Otherwise, Eid will fall on Saturday, 21 March.
Traditionally, India celebrates Eid a day after Saudi Arabia. However, there have been rare instances when both countries observed Eid on the same day.
Islam follows a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months. Each month lasts 29 or 30 days and begins with the sighting of the crescent moon, known as ‘hilal’ in Arabic. The start and end of every month are determined by this sighting.
Dates determined by the Islamic lunar calendar
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Eid-ul-Fitr begins on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth Islamic month after Ramadan. The moon is sighted the night before the new month starts.
Muslim clerics in India said there is a lower chance that Ramadan this year will be 30 days long. Still, it is mandated to sight the crescent after sunset today.
“We will look for the crescent after sunset today. Though there are not many chances that the Shawwal moon will be sighted today,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli of the Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow.
Apart from Lucknow, clerics will also take part in moon sighting in other cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Bhopal. In Delhi, the head cleric of Jama Masjid announces in the evening.
Significance of physical moon sighting
Traditionally, Muslims follow the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, who instructed them to start fasting when they see the moon and break fast when it is sighted again at the end of the month.
Crescent visibility depends on geography, weather conditions and time zones. Hence, different regions have different dates. Even within India, Eid has different dates. It is usually celebrated a day before in Kerala than in other states.
What is Eid-ul-Fitr different from Eid-ul-Adha?
Eid al-Fitr is one of the two major holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide. The name literally translates from Arabic as the "Festival of Breaking the Fast."
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, and the beginning of Shawwal. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, the date shifts by about 10–11 days each year.
Eid al-Adha, or the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’, is a commemoration of devotion. The day honours the story of the Prophet Ibrahim, who was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before a ram was provided in his place. It also marks the end of the Hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca).
