Government Officially Sets Eid al-Fitr 1447 H on Saturday, 21 March 2026

The government has officially set Eid al-Fitr, 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijriah or Lebaran 2026, to fall on 21 March 2026. This determination was made based on the results of the Isbat session held by the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag). The Isbat session for setting 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijriah took place at the Ministry of Religious Affairs office on Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (19/3/2026). Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar directly led the Isbat session. The Isbat session was attended by leaders of Commission VIII of the DPR, leaders of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the Director General of Islamic Guidance, and representatives of other Islamic organisations. The determination was made after the session participants heard presentations on the results of crescent moon monitoring. “Thus, based on the calculation results and the absence of reports of the crescent being sighted, it is agreed that 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijriah falls on Saturday, 21 March 2026,” he stated. The Isbat session mechanism began with a presentation on the crescent’s position by the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Hijriah Calendar Unification Team, based on astronomical calculations (hisab). Experts conducted direct observations of the crescent at hundreds of points across Indonesia, such as 117 locations for Shawwal 1447 H, and the results were collected from field officers. The Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Hisab Rukyat Team has reported the monitoring of the crescent’s position for setting Lebaran 2026. According to hisab, the crescent did not meet the criteria set by the Ministers of Religious Affairs from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS) in Indonesian territory. “We see. The image is clear, all magenta, all red. If the curve from earlier is combined across the entire territory of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, it does not meet the MABIMS Qomariyah new month criteria; the colour is magenta,” said a member of the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Hisab Rukyat Team, Cecep Nurwendaya, during the Isbat session seminar at Kemenag. Cecep stated that the crescent’s position in parts of Aceh Province has met the minimum crescent height parameter of 3 degrees under MABIMS criteria, but it does not meet the minimum elongation parameter of 6.4 degrees. However, according to Cecep, MABIMS criteria require both to be fulfilled, namely the minimum crescent height and elongation. “Thus, the date of 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijriah according to MABIMS hisab falls on Saturday Pahing, 21 March 2026 CE. The height is met, but the elongation is not. Whereas MABIMS requires both to be met. That is the mandatory requirement for both. No ‘or’, it’s ‘and’,” he said. In its implementation, the Isbat session combines two main methods: hisab and rukyat. The hisab method uses astronomical calculations to determine the moon’s position mathematically, without direct observation. Meanwhile, the rukyat method involves direct observation of the first crescent moon on the horizon after sunset. This observation is carried out by experts at various designated locations to ensure the visibility of the crescent. Both methods have strong scientific and religious foundations and have been used in Islamic history. The combination of hisab and rukyat in the Isbat session reflects the government’s efforts to maintain a balance between science and religious teachings. Through this forum, the government seeks to ensure uniformity and certainty in the implementation of worship for the Muslim community, by combining hisab and rukyat methods and involving various related parties.