TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Idul Fitri falls on Monday, govt declares
Combining astrological and traditional methods, the Religious Affairs Ministry's moonsighting committee has determined that the first day of Idul Fitri falls on March 31, which also means that members of both NU and Muhammadiyah will be celebrating the holiday on the same date this year.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
West Aceh officials and ulema observe the position of the moon in the skies over Aceh on Feb. 28, 2025. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
T
he government has announced that the first day of the month of Syawal in the Islamic calendar, which marks the Idul Fitri holiday, will fall on Monday, as the hilal (crescent moon) was not visible on March 29 from moonsighting points across the country.
The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, so a new day begins in the evening.
“We have concluded that 1 Syawal 1446 Hijriah falls on Monday. So tonight, we still perform the tarawih prayers,” Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar told a press briefing on Saturday evening.
Nasaruddin said a monitoring team reported that the height of the hilal across the country had not reached 3 degrees above the horizon, so the holy fasting month of Ramadan was rounded to 30 days.
The government had applied the 3-degree minimum to confirm the start of the new Hijriah month, he explained, in accordance with a requirement set in 2021 by the Ministers of Religion of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (MABIMS).
This year’s moonsighting to spot the first crescent of the new moon were conducted at 33 locations nationwide except in Bali, where Hindu worshipers were observing Nyepi (Day of Silence) on Saturday.
The decision was announced after a Sidang Isbat (moonsighting confirmation hearing) attended by representatives of Islamic organizations including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), as well as officials from the House of Representatives and other relevant institutions.
