The end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, is marked by the religious holiday of Eid a-Fitr in mid-June.
When Eid al-Fitr takes place depends on the lunar cycle. This year, it will likely start on the evening of June 14, but the timing could change closer to the date contingent on crescent moon sightings. Some celebrations go on for as long as three days.
The date shifts annually because the Islamic calendar revolves around the moon's cycle, while the Gregorian calendar runs on the sun's cycle. What's more, Muslims disagree on whether the lunar sighting counts when seen with the human eye, or with a telescope, or using mathematical calculations.
Eid al-Fitr is Arabic for the "festival of breaking the fast," and Muslims around the world celebrate the end of the holy month. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, intercourse and other activities that are considered worldly from sunrise to sunset, and devote themselves to religious self-reflection.
In honor of Eid al-Fitr, many Muslims buy new clothes, pray early at a mosque and exchange gifts among their family and friends.
Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday in many Muslim-majority countries.
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