Gulf Arab countries announce start day of three-day Muslim festival, marking end of the holy month of Ramadan.
The Gulf Arab countries have announced that the Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of holy month of Ramadan, will be celebrated on July 6.
The official news agencies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait quoted religious authorities as saying on Monday that the annual feast will begin on Wednesday after failing to sight the moon that marks the start of the three-day festival.
The starting day of Eid varies every year and from country to country depending on geographical location.
Eid al-Fitr means “festival of breaking the fast” and marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. It is an official holiday in all Muslim-majority countries.
غدا الثلاثاء 5-7-2016 هو المتمم لشهر رمضان المبارك.
وسيكون يوم الأربعاء 6-7-2016 هو أول أيام عيد الفطر المبارك #وزارة_الأوقاف
Yemen, Indonesia, and the Philippines are also among the countries which announced Wednesday as the first day of Eid.
Around the time of the announcement in Saudi Arabia, suspected suicide bombings struck near the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and a Shia mosque in Qatif city.