Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The religious festival is celebrated by the Muslim community across the world and it is celebrated in the month of Shawwal. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe strict fasting from dusk to dawn. They don’t indulge in any kind of activities like eating, drinking, smoking, or having sex. However, much like the beginning of the month-long fasting period of Ramzan, the exact date of Eid al-Fitr gets decided after sighting the beautiful crescent moon. Eid al-Fitr 2021 is being celebrated on May 13 and 14.

The crescent moon is first seen in Saudi Arabia and then the rest of the world decides to celebrate the joyous festival. Reportedly, the Jeddah Astronomical Association had predicted that the moon sighting date for Shawwal month in Saudi Arabia will be May 11, Wednesday; but later the moon sighting committee announced that the moon had not been sighted. Thus, May 12 has been marked as the last day of Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr 2021 will be celebrated on May 13, which is the first day of Shawwal month, according to the Islamic calendar.

The Institute of Astronomical & Geophysical Research of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh determines the Umm al-Qura calendar which is followed by the Saudi Arabian nation.

In India, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated on the second day of crescent moon sighting in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this year, the holy festival will be celebrated on May 14, Friday in India. However, Kerala and Kashmir will celebrate Eid on May 13, Thursday.

On Tuesday, the Indonesian government had also announced that Muslims in the country will celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Thursday, May 13. Even Muslim communities in Malaysia and Singapore will also celebrate the auspicious festival of Eid on Thursday.

Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, a government official said, "In keeping with the command of the King, following the consent of the rulers, I hereby declare that the date for Eid al-Fitri for the states in Malaysia has been set for Thursday, May 13, 2021.”

All the other countries like UAE, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Mali are going to celebrate Eid al-Fitr 2021 on May 13, Thursday.

However, this year, the celebration of Eid al-Fitr will be different as most people will celebrate with their loved ones while staying at home due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2021 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).