Rabat – Astronomers expect Saudi Arabia to announce April 10 as Eid Al Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Al Jazeera quoted astronomy calculations forecasting that the first of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar marking the end of Ramadan, will be on April 10.
Saudi Arabia will assign a religious committee to sight the crescent moon for Eid Al Fitr in the coming weeks.
The country is already gearing up for Eid Al Fitr celebrations.
The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced a four-day Eid Al Fitr holiday for the private and nonprofit sectors in the Gulf country.
The holiday will start at the end of Monday, corresponding to April 8.
“Employers must adhere to what has been stipulated in the second paragraph of Article 24 of the executive regulation of the Labor Law,” the ministry said.
During the morning of Eid Al Fitr, citizens flock to mosques to carry out Eid prayers.
The prayers consist of 2 rak’at, the iteration of prescribed movements performed by Muslims as part of salah or prayers. There are also six additional takbirs (the Arabic phrase Allahu Akbar).
Following prayers, families gather on their first-morning breakfast feast following a month of fasting from dawn to dusk.
Children also wear new clothes during Eid Al Fitr and expect gifts from their families.
During Eid Al Fitr, family visit exchanges are also common in the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia started fasting Ramadan on March 11 this year, along with a lengthy list of other countries – including the UAE and Qatar among others.
In many other countries like Morocco, however, Ramadan started on March 12.
