UAE, Saudi announce first day of Eid Al Fitr

The UAE has announced that the first day of Eid Al Fitr will be on Sunday, May 24, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The announcement was made by the UAE’s moon-sighting committee on Friday after it held a virtual meeting following Maghreb prayers.

The committee said the Shawwal crescent was not sighted on Friday, hence Saturday, May 23, 2020 will be observed as the last day of Ramadan.

#عاجل_وام
"الأحد" أول أيام #عيد_الفطر_السعيد في #الإمارات pic.twitter.com/9eBjM94UFn

— وكالة أنباء الإمارات (@wamnews) May 22, 2020

Earlier, Saudi Arabia also confirmed that Sunday will be the first day of Eid Al Fitr since the crescent moon was not seen on Friday.

The sighting of the moon signals the end of the holy month of Ramadan – when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset – and the start of the month of Shawwal.

In the UAE, both public and private sector workers are off for five days, from Friday, May 22 until Tuesday, May 26.

Read: Revealed: UAE private sector holidays for Eid Al Fitr 2020

Officials this year have urged UAE residents to avoid public gatherings during Eid and maintain social distancing as part of precautionary measures against the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Read: Covid-19: UAE changes disinfection drive hours and revises fines