Is Eid today? When does Ramadan end and how to wish Muslims a happy Eid

The ninth month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan sees everyone of the Islamic faith enter a period of fasting (sawm) from dawn to sunset. Muslims are also expected to spend more time praying, reflecting and spending time helping in their community.

A month where their devotion to Allah is hightened, with optional prayers called tahajjud and more reading of the Quran, it runs in tandem with the lunar calendar. This means that Ramadan will only end on the sighting of a crescent moon.

As the lunar cycle draws closer to completion, Muslims are patiently awaiting Eid al-Fitr. But will Eid be taking place today - and how does the recent solar eclipse complicate things?

Is Eid today?

Leading astronomers in Saudi Arabia claim that Eid will fall tonight (Sunday, March 30) as modern technology allows us to forecast when the crescent moon will appear in the sky. However, this year their date is actually being disputed.

Thanks to the solar eclipse that took place in the early hours of Saturday morning (March 29) UK astronomers have argued that that the crescent moon that signals the end of Ramadan will not be visible in the sky tonight. As a result, they claim Eid will not take place until March 31 at the earliest.

Depending on which mosque you go to, they will follow either the Saudi Arabian reports or local moon sightings. Either way, most will be announcing today when Eid will be taking place.

How to wish someone a happy Eid?

For those unfamiliar with the Muslim culture, they might not know how to with their friends a happy Eid. Certainly, you don’t say it like that - this isn’t Christmas or Easter, after all.

During Eid al-Fitr, the correct way to celebrate it is to say “Eid al-Fitr Mubarak” - pronounced Moo-bah-ruh-k. However, simply saying “Eid Mubarak” is also widely accepted.