Eid 2026 Moon Sighting Final Update: India To Celebrate Eid Ul Fitr on March 21 as Shawwal Chand Not Sighted
India will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, March 21, 2026, as the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted on Thursday evening. Major religious bodies, including the Jama Masjid and Markazi Chand Committee, confirmed that Ramadan will complete 30 days on Friday. Festive preparations for 'Chand Raat' are now expected to peak across the country tomorrow.
New Delhi, March 19: Muslims across India will officially celebrate Eid 2026 or Eid Ul Fitr on Saturday, March 21, following the unsuccessful sighting of the Shawwal 1447 crescent moon on Thursday evening (Chand Raat). The announcement was made by major religious bodies, including the Jama Masjid in Delhi and the Markazi Chand Committee in Lucknow, after no credible testimonies of a moon sighting were received from any part of the country.
As a result, the holy month of Ramadan (Ramzan) will complete a full 30-day cycle tomorrow, March 20. Eid festivities will commence nationwide the following morning with special congregational prayers. Eid al-Fitr 2026 Wishes, Eid Mubarak Greetings, Messages and HD Wallpapers To Share on Chand Raat.
Eid Ul Fitr 2026 in India on March 21
In the national capital, Naib Shahi Imam Syed Shaban Bukhari of the historic Jama Masjid confirmed that since the moon was not visible, Friday would be the final day of fasting. Similarly, in Lucknow, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali of the Islamic Centre of India and the Markazi Chand Committee issued a statement finalizing Saturday as the day of Eid. Eid Moon Sighting 2026 Final Update: Shawwal Crescent Not Sighted, Bangladesh To Celebrate Eid Ul Fitr on March 21.
Eid 2026 Moon Not Sighted in Delhi, Lucknow
Other major regional committees, including the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in Hyderabad and the Deccan Muslim Ulema Council, also concluded their sessions after Maghrib prayers with similar findings. Reports from Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru echoed this, noting that clear skies in some regions and cloud cover in others yielded no sightings.
While India has shifted Eid celebrations to Saturday, several Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are set to celebrate Eid on Friday, March 20. These countries had already completed 30 days of Ramadan on Thursday, having started the fasting month a day earlier than most South Asian nations.
In India, the moon sighting process (Rukyah) is a centuries-old tradition where local moon-sighting committees rely on physical evidence and eyewitness accounts. This often leads to the subcontinent celebrating Eid a day after the Middle East.
Despite the moon not being sighted today, the festive spirit has intensified across Indian markets. The evening of Friday will now serve as Chand Raat (Night of the Moon), a time of heavy last-minute shopping for traditional attire, jewelry, and festive ingredients.
Cities like Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Old Delhi are expected to see bustling crowds as families prepare for the signature dishes of the festival, such as Sheer Khurma and Biryani.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2026 08:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).