Minister of Internal Affairs Kithure Kindiki has declared April 10, 2024 as a public holiday in Kenya to allow Muslims to celebrate ‘Eid ul-Fitr.
But what is ‘Eid ul–Fitr celebrations and why the date of celebration this year is different from last year’s date, and do dates changes every year?
According to the author of Islamic books, the day of ‘Eid is a holiday made by Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadhan, the holy month of Islamic, where Muslims fast everyday between sunrise and sunset.
Known as ‘Eid ul-Fitr, which means breaking the fast’, it falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar.
The star of ‘Eid ul-Filtr follows the end of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting observed by Muslims from sunrise to sunset every day.
Ramadhan, the lunar month, is 29 30 days. It started on the evening of Sunday March 10 in 2024, which means it will end on Monday April 8 2024, the 29th day, or on the 30th, Tuesday April 9 2024.
After sunset prayers on Monday April8, which is the 29th day of Ramadhan on the Shawwal calendar, moon watchers will head west to try to catch the first glimpse of the crescent moon.
If the new moon is visible, then the next day will be ‘Eid, if not, then Muslims will fast one more day to complete the 30-day of month.
The days to celebrate ‘Eid vary from one nation to another depending on the appearance of the moon from the west, an announcement that is often made by the great Islamic Imam.
The date of ‘Eid ul-Fitr changes due to the difference between the Gregorian solar calendar and the Hajri calendar, which is governed by the time it takes the moon to go through each of its lunar phases.
This means that the date of ‘Eid ul-Fitr is not fixed in the Gregorian calendar. On the day of ‘Eid, Muslims gives a special alms called Zakat ul-ftr.
Zakat ul-Filtr, or Zakat for breaking the Ramadhan fast, is a special obligatory offering given by all Muslims at the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.
It’s also called Sadaqat al-fitr “Sacrifice to break the fast” of Ramadhan and Muslims should give part of their wealth to those in need.
