LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
The Grand Mosque of Paris (pictured here) and the French Council for Muslim Worship have set the end date for Ramadan in France as Friday, April 21.
RELIGION – The end date of Ramadan in France is finally known. Eid-el-Fitr, the feast of breaking the fast, was finally confirmed this Thursday, April 20 by the religious commission of the Grand Mosque of Paris and by the French Council for Muslim Worship (CFCM). It will therefore take place on Friday, April 21, at sunset.
“After consulting scientific calculations, astronomical data and observations of the moon, the date of Eid al-Fitr has been set (…) in France on Friday April 21”writes the Grand Mosque of Paris in a press release which you can read in the tweet below.
The date of Eid al-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar.
A controversial date
Each year, the date of breaking the fast is not unanimous in Muslim countries. If Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and the great pilgrimage of the hajj, has also chosen Friday, other countries have stopped at Thursday or even Saturday.
Ramadan fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam, is observed by millions of Muslims around the world. During this month, from sunrise to sunset, they are forbidden to drink, eat and have sexual relations. In France, it started this year on March 23.
Beyond the religious dimension, Ramadan and Eid el-Fitr are also an opportunity for large family gatherings or with the rest of the Muslim community. Eid al-Fitr is also marked by gestures of charity towards the poorest, strongly encouraged by the religious at this time of the year.
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