There are two main Eid festivals in the Islamic calendar each year and we are getting close to the first of those, Eid ul Fitr. Also written as Eid al-Fitr, a name meaning festival of breaking the fast, it signals the end of the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan.
![The first crescent of the new moon that heralds the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid ul Fitr]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAWpHcJ.img?h=532&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAWpHcJ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAWpHcJ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
© Raja Zahid Nawaz The first crescent of the new moon that heralds the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid ul FitrEid ul Fitr is also known as Lesser Eid or Smaller Eid because the festival lasts for up to three days compared with the later Eid ul Adha, which is an entirely different celebration at the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca carried out by 2.5 million people. This second Eid goes on for four days and is also called Big Eid or Greater Eid.
Despite being Lesser Eid, the holiday of Eid ul Fitr is still a huge event, with the public gathering in Birmingham becoming the largest Eid celebration in Europe with a record 140,000 people attending Small Heath Park in 2018. Eid ul Fitr comes at the start of Shawwal, the month after Ramadan. So when will it be in 2022?
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Officials and members of the public try to sight the moon on the 29th day of any given month - if it's observed the month comes to an end and if not the month goes on one more day. This means people will be trying to spot the moon on April 30. But there are indications it will not be visible on that night, which suggests Ramadan lasting 30 days and Eid being on Monday, May 2.
The Umm al-Quran Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which is drawn up in advance so the Saudi Government can plan national holidays and other events, has already forecast that Ramadan will last 30 days with Eid on Monday, May 2, 2022. Such is the significance of Eid that people will still be gathering to experience the spiritual moment of seeing the moon the night before then, so there will be large-scale moon-watching across the world on the evening of May 1. This night before Eid is known as Chaand Raat.
In the UK, HM Nautical Almanac Office, an agency providing astronomical data to organizations including the police, armed forces and calendar/diary manufacturers, has looked at the possibilities of sighting the moon around this time. It says the new moon will be born at 9.28pm on Saturday, April 30, and no sightings will be possible on that night anywhere in the world.
The agency says that, if using a telescope, the first faint crescent of the new moon should be visible on Sunday, May 1, from parts of the Middle East. Similarly, it will be possible to see it using an optical aid in north Africa. Sightings are possible with the naked eye, if the weather is good, from northern parts of South America and Canada. Easy sightings are possible from the Caribbean region, Central America, the USA, and some other locations. Naked-eye sightings are likely across the globe on Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3.
These calculations indicate Islamic officials won't see the moon anywhere on April 30 and will then decree that Ramadan must go one more day, until May 1, with the start of Shawwal and the Eid ul Fitr celebrations on May 2. Further attempts to see the slim crescent on May 1, for the special moment of witnessing the Eid moon, will confirm the May 2 date.
Here are the forecasts of moon sightings for Eid ul Fitr 2022:
Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
Two hours ahead of UK BST
April 30 - not visible
May 1 - May require optical aid to find crescent. Sunset 6.46pm local time, moonset 7.24pm local time
May 2 - Easily visible. Sunset 6.46pm local time, moonset 8.18pm local time.
Rabat (Morocco)
One hour behind UK BST
April 30 - not visible
May 1 - Naked-eye sighting in perfect conditions. Sunset 7.11pm local time, moonset 8pm local time
May 2 - Easily visible. Sunset 7.12pm local time, moonset 9pm local time.
Birmingham (UK)
April 30 - not visible
May 1 - Naked-eye sighting in perfect conditions. Sunset 8.34pm local time, moonset 9.33pm local time (British Summer Time)
May 2 - Easily visible. Sunset 8.35pm local time, moonset 10.47pm local time (British Summer Time)
Rest of UK
April 30 - not visible
May 1 - Will require optical aid to find crescent. Timings of sunset and moonset vary depending on location.
May 2 - Easily visible. Timings of sunset and moonset vary depending on location.
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