Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a directive to extend this year’s Eid Al-Fitr, the end of the Holy month of Ramadan holiday, to give government employees and military staff a full working week off to mark the holiday, which falls at the end of Ramadan.
Although the exact start date of Eid has yet to be officially announced, an astronomer in Sharjah said this week that it will likely begin on Friday, June 15, according to Arab News.
The Islamic calendar directly follows the lunar cycle, meaning that each month is comprised of 29-30 days. Due to these shifts, it depends on when the new crescent moon appears and is seen by two reliable witnesses. This can lead to different start dates for the new month, due to some countries witnessing the new moon before others.
If the Eid Al-Fitr falls on the 15th of June, the celebration will come just one day after the Saudi national team competes against host country Russia in the Kingdom’s first world cup match since 2006.
