Islamic Festivals 2026

Islamic festivals are religious observances marked by Muslims worldwide, tied to key moments in Islamic history and the lunar Hijri calendar. They include celebrations such as Eid, sacred nights of worship, fasting periods, and the start of new Hijri months.

The Hijri calendar follows the moon's cycle, with each month beginning at the sighting of a new crescent moon. Because a lunar month lasts about 29.5 days, the calendar can be calculated using astronomical prediction or confirmed through direct moon sighting by local authorities.

Since the new month starts once the crescent moon is actually seen, visibility depends on geography, weather, and local methods used to confirm the sighting. This means a festival can begin a day earlier or later in different regions, even though the underlying calendar is the same.

The Hijri calendar is lunar and roughly 10–11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year, so Hijri dates shift earlier each Gregorian year. The Gregorian calendar, used for civil purposes worldwide, is fixed to the Earth's orbit around the sun rather than the moon's phases.