Eid-ul-Fitr 2027 ईद-उल-फ़ित्र

Why Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated

Eid ul-Fitr is the festival of breaking the fast. It comes on the first day of Shawwal, right after Ramadan, the month in which healthy adult Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. The word fitr refers to breaking the fast, and the day itself is a reward: Muslims are not allowed to fast on Eid.

Believers see Eid as a day of thanks to God for the strength to complete the fast. It is equally a day of giving. Before the Eid prayer, every Muslim household that can afford it pays sadaqat ul-fitr, also called fitra, a fixed charity for each member of the family, so that no poor family is left out of the celebration. The festival stresses forgiveness too. People settle old quarrels, visit relatives and greet each other with a hug and the words Eid Mubarak.

In India the day has a wide social reach. Neighbours of every faith drop in for sweet seviyan, offices and schools exchange greetings, and markets stay busy for days. Because sweets play such a big role, many people in North India call it Meethi Eid, the sweet Eid, to set it apart from Bakrid.

History and story of Eid-ul-Fitr

Islamic tradition records that the Prophet Muhammad began the two Eid festivals after he moved from Makkah to Madinah. The people of Madinah had two days of festivity, and he told them that God had given them two better days, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. The first Eid ul-Fitr is placed in the second year of the Hijri calendar, around 624 CE, after the first Ramadan in which fasting was a duty.

Ramadan itself carries the memory of revelation. Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet in this month, in the cave of Hira near Makkah. The Quran makes the fast a duty and explains its purpose: to build God consciousness and self-control, and to help the believer feel the hunger of the poor. Eid closes that month of discipline with a shared prayer and a feast.

The Islamic calendar is purely lunar, with about 354 days in a year, so Eid moves about eleven days earlier each year against the Gregorian calendar. Over roughly 33 years it passes through every season. In 2026 it falls in March, at the tail end of the North Indian winter, and by the early 2030s it will fall in the cold months of January.

How Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated

The festival begins the evening before, on Chand Raat. Families climb to rooftops to look for the new moon, or wait for the announcement of the local Ruet-e-Hilal committee that it has been seen. Once the moon is sighted, markets come alive with shoppers buying clothes, bangles, sweets and mehndi, which women and girls apply late into the night.

On Eid morning, Muslims bathe, wear new or their best clothes, put on attar and eat something sweet, often dates, before leaving home, following the practice of the Prophet. Sadaqat ul-fitr must be paid before the prayer. Men, and in many places women and children, then go to the Eidgah or a large mosque for the Eid namaz, a congregational prayer of two rakats with extra takbirs, followed by a sermon. After the prayer people embrace, usually three times, and say Eid Mubarak.

The rest of the day belongs to family and friends. Elders give eidi, cash or small gifts, to children. Kitchens turn out sheer khurma made with vermicelli, milk, dates and dry fruits, along with kimami seviyan, biryani, kebabs and phirni. Many families visit the graves of relatives to pray for them. In the days that follow, relatives and neighbours keep visiting each other, and Eid milan gatherings bring together people of all communities.

Eid-ul-Fitr across India

India has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and Eid looks a little different in each region. In Delhi, the Jama Masjid and the lanes of Old Delhi host one of the biggest Eid prayers in the country, and food stalls line the streets. Lucknow is known for its Aishbagh Eidgah and its many styles of seviyan. Hyderabad serves sheer khurma in almost every home. Kerala calls the festival Cheriya Perunnal, the small festival, and celebrates with biryani and payasam. In Kashmir, families buy special breads from local bakeries and visit relatives across the valley. In West Bengal and Assam, Eid shopping and feasts are on a large scale.

In Uttarakhand, large crowds gather for namaz at the Eidgah in Dehradun and at big congregations in Haridwar district, Roorkee, Haldwani and Udham Singh Nagar. Shops in Dehradun's old bazaars stay open late on Chand Raat, and Eid milan events follow over the next few days.