Eid al-Fitr ( , , "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called
Breaking the Fast Feast, the
Sugar Feast,
Bayram (
Bajram), the
Sweet Festival or
Hari Raya Puasa and the
Lesser Eid, is an important
religious holiday celebrated by
Muslims worldwide that marks the end of
Ramadan, the
Islamic holy month of
fasting (
sawm). The religious Eid is a single day during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire
month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of
Shawwal. The date for the start of any
lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However, in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia. Eid al-Fitr has a particular
Salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two
Rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation (
Jama’at) and has an additional extra six
Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu Akbar", literally "Allah is greatest"), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before
Ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed,
Fard فرض (obligatory),
Mustahabb مستحب (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob مندوب (preferable).