Jakarta, March 19 -- Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that the first day of Shawwal 1447 Hijri will fall on Saturday, March 21, marking Eid al-Fitr 2026 after nationwide moon sighting observations.

The hilal, or new crescent moon that marks the start of a month in the Islamic calendar, was not observed, the ministry said.

"Based on moon sighting observations, we can confirm that the hilal was not visible. Therefore, the first day of Shawwal 1447 Hijri will fall on Saturday, March 21, 2026," Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said the decision was based on observations conducted by ministry teams at 117 locations across Indonesia, which found that the c...