The Howard County Board of Education apologized to the district’s Muslim community this week for “communication failures” when deciding to schedule March 31 — the holiday Eid al-Fitr — as a full school day.

Relatives mourn 12-year-old Ahmad Abu Teir, who was killed in an Israeli army strike, before his funeral along with seven other Palestinians, including a father, mother, and their three children, on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

There is never a definitive date for Eid every year. Has Saudi Arabia confirmed it for 2025? How the date is determined, more on the Islamic holiday.

With the expected sighting of the waxing crescent moon by the end of March, nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide and the less than 1% of Rhode Islanders who are Muslim, according to the Pew Research Center , will celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.

Muslims pray, kids play and performers entertain at an Eid al-Fitr celebration at Gilbert Regional Park on March 31, 2024, marking the end of Ramadan.

With the expected sighting of the waxing crescent moon by the end of March, nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide and the roughly 1% of Ohioans who are Muslim will celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the end of ...

The exact date of Eid al-Fitr depends on the sighting of the crescent moon, a practice that determines the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal. Consequently, Eid is expected to fall on either Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31.

Throughout the morning, over 2,000 people circulated the mosque which hosted four prayers starting at 7:00 a.m.