Eid ul Fitr is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

The religious festival Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” is one of two major holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world. In the United States, Eid al-Fitr 2021 begins on the evening of Wednesday, May 12 and ends on the evening of Thursday, May 13.

Also known as the “Lesser Eid,” Eid al-Fitr commemorates the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. An occasion for special prayers, family visits, gift-giving and charity, it takes place over one to three days, beginning on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month in the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic Calendar

Though some Muslims observe other special days throughout the year, including the beginning of the new year according to the Islamic calendar and the day the Prophet Muhammad was born, the two Eids are the only holidays celebrated by the entire Muslim community worldwide. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fast of Ramadan, while Eid al-Adha (“Festival of Sacrifice”) occurs at the end of the annual pilgrimage season.

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, in which dates are calculated based on the lunar phases, and each new month begins when the waxing crescent moon appears in the sky. Because the 12-month lunar year is approximately 11 days shorter than the solar Gregorian calendar (the 365-day calendar used in the Western world), Islamic months and holidays fall in various seasons depending on the year.