Eid 2018: Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan or Ramzan, the holy month when Muslims all over the world observe an intense dawn-to-dusk fast known as Roza. The month-long fasting ends with the sighting of the crescent moon in the sky and celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr.

The holy month of Ramadan is almost over this year, and people are gearing up to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr. This year, Eid moon is like to be cited on the evening of Thursday, June 14, in India and end on the evening of Friday, June 15.

Eid ul-Fitr, also called Eid al-Fitr, Ramzan Id, Eid-ul-Fitar, or Idul-Fitr, is a gazetted holiday in India. Celebrations of the festival mark the end of Ramadan and the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal.

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People wake up early in the morning and offer their daily prayers known as the Salat ul-Fajr. Many attend community prayers and listen to a sermon, and also organise community meals. They wear new clothes, visit friends and relatives to exchange Eid greetings and small presents such as sweets. Children eagerly wait for the day as they get gifts from elders in the family.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and followers of the faith keeping Roza don’t eat a morsel of food or drink a drop of water between dawn and dusk during this period. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory for every adult Muslim, male or female, who has reached puberty, according to Quran. People suffering from any illness, and women who are having their menstrual periods or are pregnant or lactating are however not allowed to fast.

Another practice associated with Eid-ul-Fitr is Zakat al-Fitr, which is charity given to the poor people in the community during the month of Ramadan. Zakat al-fitr consists of a food items such as barley, dates, raisins or wheat flour, or its monetary equivalent.

It is believed that Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Holy Quran during this month. The exact date of Eid depends on a combination of astronomical calculations and the sighting of the crescent moon.

The date and time also change every year as the Muslim calendar, which began with Prophet Mohammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, is based on the phases of the moon. A Hadith attributed to Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, says the first Eid was celebrated in 624 AD, after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar in the Hejaz region of western Arabia.