Introduction

Like the holidays of many other religions, Islamic holidays (or holy days) are occasions to remember, commemorate, worship, and celebrate. Islam’s two major religious holidays are both festivals, 'Eid al-Fitr and 'Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr is a three-day celebration immediately following Muslims' annual month-long fast during Ramadan. Eid al-Adha is held during the final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijja, as a celebration of the completion of hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Muslims also commemorate significant events in their religious history, particularly in connection with the life of Muhammad.³Shi'a Muslims also celebrate holidays in connection to the lives of Muhammad’s direct descendants. Because Islam uses a lunar calendar, with months coinciding with the cycle of the moon, Islamic religious holidays do not fall on the same date each year in the Gregorian calendar, and they may take place in any season of the year.

The following table lists a few major holidays celebrated by Muslims, their place in the Islamic calendar, and their corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar for the next three years.