Eid is here

This has been an eventful month with lots of violence in the area known as the Middle East and elsewhere. In the Middle East, a band of rebels known as the ISIS or Islamic State is waging what they believe is a holy war against a few selective governments that they think are not Islamic enough for their taste. Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still going on strong and the idea of any form of a peaceful resolution is simply unattainable (right now) unfortunately. Egypt, the land of the Pyramids, has gone through a complete circle from dictatorship to populous revolution followed briefly by a democratic election and now they are back to military dictatorship. In other places greed is taking over every aspect of human life and even in places which are relatively safe (without conflicts), people are suffering in one form or another.

The fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan has finally come to an end. Celebration has already begun in many parts of the world. People who have fasted in this month, the children and those living in places with significant larger community of Muslim know the true joy of Eid.

Moving on, when exactly is the Eid year 2014 / 1435? Based on past experiences, the first day of Eid can fall on either of the three days depending on how you estimate and calculate the date and sight the birth of a new moon (moon sighting). There’s a historical precedence in the process of pre-determination of the first day of Eid. Some folks believe that this precedence is merely an optional suggestion/guideline and the expected outcome should/will still vary depending on various other astronomical/geographical/technological factors that either didn’t exist back then or were not explained clearly enough.

Last year, I blogged a bit about some of the issues related to the moon sighting. Based on my observation and despite all the challenges, I still think the best approach is to do-it-yourself moon sighting. Go out there and look for the hilal. If you are too lazy then take any of the days mentioned as the likely candidate and hope for the best.

Celebration of the Eid comes with some nice traditions that bring families and communities together (in the future, time and energy permitting, I think I’ll go deeper in the celebration of the Eid).

As of now, enjoy/ have fun.