Hari Raya Aidilfitri falls on Saturday

Muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Saturday (April 22), Keeper of the Ruler's Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad announced tonight.

“In keeping with the command of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, following the consent of the rulers, I hereby declare that the date for Hari Raya Puasa for the states in Malaysia has been set for Saturday, April 22, 2023,” he said.

This means there will be an additional public holiday tomorrow.

Previously, the government declared an additional public holiday depending on when Hari Raya starts.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that if Aidilfitri falls on Friday (April 21), then the following Monday (April 24) will be set as a public holiday.

If it were to fall on Saturday (April 22), then Friday (April 21) will be declared as a public holiday, the premier said.

Regardless of when Aidilfitri begins, the public will get a four-day holiday from Friday to the following Monday.

The date for Hari Raya was decided following a nationwide attempt to sight the new moon after sunset today, which would signal the end of the fasting month if the new moon was sighted.

If not, then the fasting month of Ramadan would last 30 days.

The exercise is overseen by moon sighting committees - chaired by their respective muftis - for each state. This is done with the assistance of experts from the Survey and Mapping Department.

Meanwhile, the Kelantan government declared Tuesday (April 25) as a public holiday for the state.

Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob said this following the announcement by Syed Danial that Aidilfitri falls on April 22.

For the record, Kelantan considers Friday and Saturday as weekends.