Extended Vacation: IAC Expects Eid Al-Fitr 2025 to Start on March 31
The International Astronomy Center (IAC) has announced that Shawwal crescent moon sighting will be impossible in the eastern part of the world on March 29, 2025, which means that Eid Al-Fitr will start on March 31 in most Islamic countries.
Saudi Arabia has granted private and non-profit sectors employees a four-day holiday to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr. Employees will begin their holiday after work on Saturday, 29 March, resuming duties four days later. However, final dates depend on moon-sighting committees, which may extend festivities if Eid begins later.
Impossible Moon Sighting
In a statement on X, the IAC said that Shawwal crescent moon will be impossible to spot across all regions of the Arab and Islamic world with all observation means, including with naked eyes, telescopes, or advanced astronomical imaging technology, on Saturday night, March 29, 2025.
Islamic countries sight Shawwal crescent moon on the 29th day of Ramadan. When the conjunction between the moon and the sun occurs before sunset and the new crescent moon is sighted after sunset, the following day marks the beginning of Shawwal and Eid Al-Fitr. If the conjunction occurs after sunset or if the crescent is not sighted after sunset, this means that Ramadan will extend to 30 days.
تقرير فلكي حول ظروف رؤية هلال عيد الفطر 1446 هـ
ستتحرى معظم الدول هلال شهر شوال (عيد الفطر 1446 هـ) يوم السبت 29 مارس/آذار 2025م، ورؤية الهلال في ذلك اليوم مستحيلة من شرق العالم، وهي غير ممكنة من باقي مناطق العالم العربي والإسلامي باستخدام جميع وسائل الرصد بما في ذلك العين… pic.twitter.com/pcCRWgPfD6
— مركز الفلك الدولي (@AstronomyCenter) March 19, 2025
Eid Al-Fitr Date
The IAC, based in Abu Dhabi, said that the moon will not be visible after sunset in most Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.
The invisibility of the new crescent moon is due to a number of factors, such as its angular distance from the sun and its altitude above the horizon at the time of observation. This means that Eid Al-Fitr will start on Monday, March 31, 2025.
Furthermore, the Earth will experience a partial solar eclipse on Saturday noon, which will be visible from parts of the western Arab world such as Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. This provides evidence that sighting the crescent moon at that time or a few hours later is impossible, according to the IAC.
