Africa 

2019 Eid to be observed today across Africa, most parts of the world

Eid, the post-Ramadan prayers and celebration by Muslims, has been slated for Tuesday June 4 across most parts of Africa and the world.

Mali became the “first country to observe the Eid”: after the new moon was sighted in a locality. The government subsequently declared today a national holiday for the purpose.

As at sunset, the following African countries had announced June 4 as Eid Day – Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, Egypt and other African countries that have traditionally relied on Saudi’s announcement.

Saudi’s Supreme Court announced the Eid day after reports had widely circulated that the moon had been sighted in an area. The United Arab Emirates, UAE, also declared same along with other countries in the Gulf region.

Pakistan, India, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and others have all declared Tuesday for the Eid as has most countries across Europe and the Americas.

First Eid falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month that comes after Ramadan. At the end of the 29 or 30 days of fasting, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr which literally means “festival of breaking the fast” in Arabic.

On the day, Muslims attend a special prayer in the morning at outdoor locations or mosques. The prayer consists of a sermon followed by the short congregational prayer.

After the prayer, they visit friends and relatives, give gifts especially to children, and make phone calls to distant relatives to exchange greetings of “Eid Mubarak” or “Blessed Eid”.

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