Eid prayers at home
Ramadan begins at the first sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the next crescent - which marks Eid Al Fitr Image Credit: WAM/Archives

Dubai: UAE residents are in for a long weekend in less than three weeks with the Eid Al Fitr holidays coming up.

Eid marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims across the world fast from dawn to dusk. Ramadan started on March 23, and usually lasts for either 29 or 30 days.

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The exact start and end dates are determined by moon-sighting committees. Howevever, nowadays astronomical calculations can help predict the dates. While these dates do require official confirmation, it can help plan your mini-breaks ahead of time.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomy Society, a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS), had correctly predicted that Ramadan would begin on March 23. He also predicted that this year Ramadan would be 29 days long. 

Muslims in the region are fasting, on an average, from 13 to nearly 15 hours across the month of Ramadan. Depending on sunrise and sunset, Muslims living in other places have shorter or longer fast times.

Eid Al Fitr 2023

Al Jarwan said Eid Al Fitr can be expected to fall on Friday, April 21. The dates for the official public holidays on the Islamic Hijri calendar are four days, from 29 Ramadan until 3 Shawwal 1443.

So, the corresponding dates on the Gregorian calendar are Friday, April 21 (29 Ramadan) through to Monday, April 24 (3 Shawwal). This means a long weekend off for residents.

The official dates will be confirmed by the moon-sighting committee closer to Eid.