Eid Al-Adha Date Changed To May 28 In India: Why Kashmir Is Following A Different Bakrid Date

Every year, the date of Eid Al-Adha date confusions remains the talk of the town. This year, 2026, the confusion reached an unusual peak, with the Central Government revising its official holiday notification at the last minute, the Supreme Court modifying its calendar, and state governments rescheduling exams and public holidays.

However, Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir are celebrating Bakrid on May 27 a full day before the rest of India, which observes the festival on May 28.

Let's find out why does the same country celebrate the same festival on two different dates.

In Kashmir, local clerics said that the Zil Hajj crescent was sighted on May 17, while in the rest of the country it was sighted on May 18. This one-day difference in moon sighting is the reason Kashmiri Muslims are celebrating Bakra Eid on Wednesday, May 27 the 10th day of Zil Hajj as per their calendar while the rest of India marks it on May 28.

For the majority of Indian states, Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated on May 28, after Islamic religious authorities confirmed that the new crescent moon which marks the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah was not visible on the expected date.

What Is the Islamic Basis for This?

Islam follows a lunar calendar, and the beginning of every new month is determined by the physical sighting of the crescent moon not a printed calendar or astronomical calculation alone. Eid Al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.

The date of Eid-ul-Adha changes from country to country and region to region because the Islamic calendar depends on lunar moon sightings. Since the crescent moon may become visible at different times across regions due to geography and weather conditions, some countries celebrate Eid a day earlier or later than others.

Kashmir Eid-Al-Adha Date To Align With Saudi Arabia

Kashmir will celebrate Bakra Eid on May 27 alongside countries like Saudi Arabia. This is because Saudi Arabia confirmed the sighting of the Dhu al-Hijjah crescent moon on Sunday evening, after which Monday, May 18, was declared the first day of Zil Hajj 1447 by Saudi authorities. As per the Islamic calendar, Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, resulting in Bakrid being observed in Saudi Arabia on May 27.