Chennai, September 6: The government of Tamil Nadu has declared Muharram (Ashura) holiday in the state on September 11 instead of September 10. The Tamil Nadu government had earlier declared that the Ashura holiday would be on September 10, but the holiday date has now be changed to September 11. This is due to the delay in moon-sighting, said reports. Muharram 2019: Date, Moon Sighting, Significance And How to Download PDF of Noha in Urdu, Hindi & English.

On Thursday, a government order was issued after chief kazi said that the moon was not sighted on the day it was expected in Tamil Nadu. In the rest of India, the moon was sighted on August 31, and therefore the holiday of Ashura is September 10. But in Tamil Nadu, because the moon was sighted on September 1, the holiday of Ashura falls on September 11.

The crescent moon for the Hijri (Islamic New Year) was sighted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and other countries barring those located in Indian subcontinent on August 30. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the moon was spotted on August 31, marking the beginning of Muharram.

During this month, Muslims recall the message of sacrifice, struggle and righteousness as exhibited through the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) and other members of the Ahle-e-Bayt (as). Shia Muslims across the world mourn through the first 10 days of Muharram, when the battle of Karbala was fought between the forces of Yazeed and Hussain (as).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2019 12:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).