
When is Easter 2023? What else should I know about the spring celebration? When is Ramadan 2023? What is Passover? Why is it celebrated? What you need to know about the Jewish holiday 'I'm being hunted down’: This man turned to peacemaking after coping with anti-Muslim hate When is Ramadan this year? What to know about the Muslim holy month, Eid al-Fitr in 2023. In 2030, it's predicted there will be two Ramadans in a single year. The exact date of Ramadan changes from year to year because it's set using the lunar calendar which moves forward about 11 days each year. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the holy book Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago. What is Ramadan?ĭuring Ramadan, a Muslim holy month, the pre-sunrise to sunset fast lasts anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending on where you are in the world. The former begins at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting that is also a time of prayer and a chance to be with loved ones. There are two official holidays in the Islamic faith: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Ramadan is expected to start in the United States on March 22, 2023, and end on April 21. Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY.Watch Video: Hajj 2022: Muslims travel to Mecca, Mount Arafat for pilgrimage Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which will mark the first time the event has been hosted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.Īttendance is expected to eclipse the more than 30,000 people who attended in 2018, which could make it the largest Eid al-Adha celebration in the western hemisphere, Imam Asad Zaman, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, told MPR News. In certain countries or regions, there are dishes and special desserts made to celebrate.Ī "Super Eid" celebration is planned for July 9 at U.S. In commemorating the story of Abraham, Muslims practice the act of Udhiya (or Qurbani), which involves a sacrifice and distributing meat to the needy and family members. Khalil says there is usually a big communal religious ceremony or service, which includes a prayer and a sermon. The meat from the animals sacrificed is shared with the community and food banks in areas where there are impoverished or food-insecure Muslims, said Anna Bigelow, associate professor of religious studies at Stanford University.Ĭelebrations often include spending time with friends and family, wearing new attire and giving gifts. Today, goats, lambs and cows, are sacrificed to mark the occasion. While there are Muslims who engage in this practice in the U.S., Khalil said, some Muslims will work with a company to pay for meat to be distributed in other countries where there is a great need. The sacrifice as depicted in the Quran, the Islamic holy text, has similarities to what’s in the Bible, though according to most Muslims, Abraham is asked by God to sacrifice his son Ishmael, not Isaac. “Al-Adha” refers to sacrifice, specifically the “one in which Abraham was asked – as a test – by God to sacrifice his son, only to have God intervene and substitute a ram (or lamb) instead,” said Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies at Duke University. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day What is al-Adha? If people spot it, this indicates a new month. Khalil says that the day of celebration is determined by the sighting of a new crescent moon at night. It is also celebrated during the annual Holy Pilgrimage of Hajj, in which thousands of Muslims travel to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to worship in the Ka'bah, the most sacred site in Islam.

Mohammad Hassan Khalil, a professor of religious studies and director of the Muslim studies program at Michigan State University, said Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar. Here is what to know about the holiday: What is Eid al-Adha? Weather: Heat dome to expand, bring hottest temps of the summer to some cities In other countries, celebrations take place at different times. In the United States, most Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Adha starting July 9 by visiting mosques and hosting large community gatherings. But in the United States, it's generally observed on one day. The holiday also marks the end of the yearly Hajj pilgrimage. It is different from Eid al-Fitr, another major Muslim holiday celebrated each year to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which ended in early May this year.Įid is a three-day celebration in Muslim-majority countries.

Millions of Muslims worldwide this week will celebrate Eid al-Adha, an Islamic religious festival commemorating Prophet Abraham's faithfulness to God after being tested with the unfulfilled command to sacrifice his son. Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story misstated the timing of Eid al-Fitr.
