Muslim holidays
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There are two official holidays in Islam: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting), and Muslims usually give zakat (charity) on the occasion. Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days, during which Muslims usually sacrifice a sheep and distribute its meat among family, friends, and the poor.
Both holidays occur on dates in the Islamic (Hijri) calendar, which is lunar, and thus their dates in the Gregorian calendar, which is solar, change each year. The Gregorian calendar is based on the orbital period of the Earth's revolution around the Sun, approximately 3651⁄4 days, while the Islamic calendar is based on the synodic period of the Moon's revolution around the Earth, approximately 291⁄2 days. The Islamic calendar alternates months of 29 and 30 days (which begin with the new moon). Twelve of these months constitute an Islamic year, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year.
Contents
Eid holidays[edit]
Religious practice[edit]
Fasting[edit]
Ramadan is the month in which Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset, this is partially so they can feel like poor people, when they go without food or water. Therefore Muslims fast by denying themselves both food and drink. However, travelers, and women who are menstruating or nursing a baby are exempt from fasting. In 1975, Allan Cott in his "Fasting as a Way of life" noted that "fasting brings a wholesome physiological rest for the digestive tract and central nervous system and normalizes metabolism."[citation needed]
Pilgrimage[edit]
Hajj[edit]
Umrah[edit]
Dates of holidays and other days of note[edit]
| Hijri date | 1436 AH[1][2] | 1437 AH[3][4] | 1438 AH[5][6] | 1439 AH[7][8] | 1440 AH[9][10] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic New Year | 1 Muḥarram | 25 Oct. 2014 | 14 Oct. 2015 | 2 Oct. 2016 | 21 Sep. 2017 | 11 Sep. 2018 |
| Day of Ashura | 10 Muḥarram | 3 Nov. 2014 | 23 Oct. 2015 | 11 Oct. 2016 | 30 Sep. 2017 | 20 Sep. 2018 |
| Arba'een[a] | 20 Ṣafar | 12 Dec. 2014 | 2 Dec. 2015 | 20 Nov. 2016 | 9 Nov. 2017 | 29 Oct. 2018 |
| Mawlid an-Nabī[b] | 12 Rabī‘ al-Awwal (Sunnis) | 3 Jan. 2015 | 23 Dec. 2015 | 11 Dec. 2016 | 30 Nov. 2017 | 20 Nov. 2018 |
| 17 Rabī‘ al-Awwal (Shias) | 8 Jan. 2015 | 28 Dec. 2015 | 16 Dec. 2016 | 5 Dec. 2017 | 25 Nov. 2018 | |
| Birthday of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib[a] | 13 Rajab | 2 May 2015 | 20 Apr. 2016 | 10 Apr. 2017 | 30 Mar. 2018 | 20 Mar. 2019 |
| Laylat al-Mi'raj | 27 Rajab[c] | 16 May 2015 | 4 May 2016 | 24 Apr. 2017 | 13 Apr. 2018 | 3 Apr. 2019 |
| Laylat al-Bara'at | 15 Sha‘bān | 2 June 2015 | 22 May 2016 | 11 May 2017 | 1 May 2018 | 20 Apr. 2019 |
| Birthday of Muhammad al-Mahdī[d] | 15 Sha‘bān | 2 June 2015 | 22 May 2016 | 11 May 2017 | 1 May 2018 | 20 Apr. 2019 |
| First day of Ramaḍān | 1 Ramaḍān | 18 June 2015 | 6 June 2016 | 27 May 2017 | 16 May 2018 | 6 May 2019 |
| Laylat al-Qadr | 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, or 29 Ramaḍān[e] | between 7 & 16 July 2015 |
between 25 June & 4 July 2016 |
between 15 & 24 June 2017 |
between 4 & 13 June 2018 |
between 25 May & 3 June 2019 |
| Chaand Raat[f] | 29 or 30 Ramaḍān[g] | 16 July 2015 | 5 July 2016 | 24 June 2017 | 14 June 2018 | 3 June 2019 |
| Eid al-Fitr | 1 Shawwāl | 17 July 2015 | 6 July 2016 | 25 June 2017 | 15 June 2018 | 4 June 2019 |
| Hajj | 8–13 Dhū al-Ḥijja | 22–27 Sep. 2015 | 9–14 Sep. 2016 | 30 Aug. – 4 Sep. 2017 | 19–24 Aug. 2018 | 9–14 Aug. 2019 |
| Day of Arafah | 9 Dhū al-Ḥijja | 23 Sep. 2015 | 10 Sep. 2016 | 31 Aug. 2017 | 20 Aug. 2018 | 10 Aug. 2019 |
| Eid al-Adha | 10 Dhū al-Ḥijja | 24 Sep. 2015 | 11 Sep. 2016 | 1 Sep. 2017 | 21 Aug. 2018 | 11 Aug. 2019 |
| Eid al-Ghadeer[a] | 18 Dhū al-Ḥijja | 1 Oct. 2015 | 19 Sep. 2016 | 9 Sep. 2017 | 29 Aug. 2018 | 19 Aug. 2019 |
- ^ a b c Primarily observed by Shias.
- ^ Not observed by some Sunnis.
- ^ There is some disagreement about this date; see Isra and Mi'raj.
- ^ Primarily observed by Twelver Shias.
- ^ Most often observed on 27 Ramaḍān; see Laylat al-Qadr.
- ^ Primarily observed in South Asia.
- ^ Observed on the last evening of Ramaḍān; see Chaand Raat.
Some Gregorian dates may vary slightly from those given, and may also vary by country. See Islamic calendar.
References[edit]
- ^ "2015 Special Islamic Days". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Gregorian/Hijri Calendar for 1436". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "2016 Special Islamic Days". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Gregorian/Hijri Calendar for 1437". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "2017 Special Islamic Days". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Gregorian/Hijri Calendar for 1438". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "2018 Special Islamic Days". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Gregorian/Hijri Calendar for 1439". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "2019 Special Islamic Days". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Gregorian/Hijri Calendar for 1440". Islamic Finder. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
Further reading[edit]
- Leaman, Oliver, "Festivals of Love", in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol I, pp. 197-199.
External links[edit]
- The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia (with date converter valid from 1937 to 2077)
- The Islamic Calendar/Hijri Calendar for Mecca
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