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Eid prayers | |
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![]() Eid prayers in Comilla, Bangladesh. Sholakia of Bangladesh has the record of holding the largest eid congregation in the world. | |
Official name | صلاة العيد |
Also called | Holidays prayer |
Observed by | Muslims |
Type | Islamic |
Significance | A Muslim prayer offered to Allah yearly in Eids. |
Begins | Duha |
Ends | Zenith - Noon |
Date | Cycles according to the Islamic lunar calendar |
Frequency | Yearly |
Related to | Salah, Friday Prayer, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha |
Part of a series on |
Islam |
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Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid (Arabic: صلاة العيد), are holy holiday prayers in the Islamic tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in Arabic is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when Muslims congregate with family and the larger Muslim community to celebrate.[1]
There are generally two central Eids that take place in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar (hence the additional name Ṣalāt al-’Īdayn (Arabic: صلاة العيدين "Prayer of the Two Eids"):
There is no set date for the Eid holidays, as it changes from year to year. This is due to the nature of the lunar calendar that calculates months based on the phases of the moon, unlike the solar Gregorian calendar that is used most widely today. The lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than that of the Gregorian, and so the equivalent date shifts back about 11 days every year. This is true for other holidays, such as the Chinese New Year or Rosh Hashanah, that are also based on the lunar calendar.[8] The date normally varies in locations across the world, but many communities choose to follow the sighting reports of the crescent moon in Mecca for the sake of consistency.[9]