Many mosques have already announced they will celebrate Eid al-Adha 2023 on June 28.
The date may vary according to moon sightings in different parts of the world, but Eid al-Adha 2023 is expected to begin at sunset on June 27 or June 28. If it begins at sunset on June 27, the Eid prayer will be on the morning of June 28. Similarly, if it begins the sunset of June 28, the Eid prayer will be the morning of June 29.
Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) — specifically, their obedience to God. As part of the tradition to commemorate them, Muslims at this time sacrifice certain kinds of livestock (typically a sheep or cow) and distribute fresh meat to the poor both near them and around the world. This practice, called udhiyah (also known as qurbani), occurs on the morning of Eid al-Adha, which falls during Hajj season.
Using last year’s date to determine Eid al-Adha 2023
Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha on July 9, 2022. Because the Islamic calendar (the Hijri calendar) is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, a simple way to estimate when Eid al-Adha 2023 will be is to go back 11 days from last year’s Eid al-Adha date. This is one way to arrive at the estimation that Eid al-Adha 2023 will be June 28 this year.
However, exactly when Eid al-Adha falls each year is in part determined by when Saudi Arabia announces the schedule for Hajj. Many Muslims around the world await Saudi Arabia’s declaration of Eid al-Adha’s date — and the detailed Hajj schedule — so they can celebrate the same day as those making their pilgrimage.
Hajj falls in the Islamic calendar month of Dhul-Hijjah, which is named in reference to the pilgrimage itself. Some scholars use a method of calculation to determine when Dhul-Hijjah (or any month) will begin — well in advance — based on patterns of the moon’s orbit around the earth and more. Other scholars follow the prophetic tradition of sighting each of the 12 lunar months’ new crescents with the naked eye in the western sky immediately after sunset.
Looking ahead to Eid al-Adha 2024
Based on the aforementioned reasoning, if Eid al-Adha 2023 falls on June 28, then it is reasonable to estimate Eid al-Adha 2024 will fall on June 17.
As always, God knows best.
