AKIPRESS.COM - Muslims around the world are to mark Ramadan feast after a month of fasting on Monday, while some are to celebrate it on Tuesday.
Religious feasts are determined by lunar calendar. Although a calendar has 12 months, it drifts each solar year by 11 to 12 days. Thus, relevant authorities need to determine the celebration day every year and sight a new moon to announce the feast.
Religious authorities around the world have different calculation systems. For instance, some Central Asian countries, except for Kyrgyzstan, celebrate Eid al-Fatr on Monday. Kyrgyzstan celebrates it on Tuesday with two days off (July 28-29).
Other Muslim states like Turkey and Saudi Arabia have decided to celebrate on the same day – July 28.
However, Iranian and Pakistani religious authorities announced that the feast will begin on Tuesday. The Pakistani authority said has not yet observed the beginning of a month, and so had decided to postpone celebrations to Tuesday.