Eid Al Adha, the second of the two major festivals celebrated by Muslims, is expected to fall on 23 September this year, astronomers in the Gulf have said.
Muslims had marked Eid al Fitr last month, after a month of fasting during Ramadan.
Eid Al Adha is marked on the tenth day of Dhu Al Hijjah, which is the last month in the Islamic calendar.
Astronomers in the UAE and other Islamic nations such as Egypt have said that the Dhu Al Hijjah moon is likely to be sighted on 13 September, which means that Eid Al Adha will be marked on 23 September.
"The moon of the preceding Islamic month Dhu Al Qidah will start taking shape on August 14, before becoming a full moon on August 16, the start of 11th lunar month," Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Planetarium Manager at the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, told Emirates 24/7.
Egypt's Astronomical and Geophysics Institute has also announced that the festival is likely to be celebrated on 23 September, adding that the Day of Arafah will be marked a day earlier, according to Ahram Online.
Eid Al Adha, which is also referred to as the 'Greater Eid' of the 'Feast of the Sacrifice', is observed to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience and submission to Allah (God).
Muslims sacrifice goats, lambs, cows and several other animals to commemorate Ibrahim's devotion.
Eid al Adha also marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage, in which millions of Muslims visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the month of Dhu Al Hijjah.
In India, the festival is more commonly known as Bakra Eid or Bakri Eid.
Given that Eid Al Adha is likely to fall on a Wednesday, people in the Gulf are likely to get a four-day holiday this year as Muslims usually celebrate the festival over four days.
