A Chaand Raat celebration in Hyderabad, India

Chaand Raat (Urdu: چاند رات, Hindi: चाँद रात; literally, Night of the Moon) is an Urdu, Hindi and Bengali locution used in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh for the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid. The term is derived from the Sanskrit words candrá (चंद्र) "moon" and rā́tri (रात्रि) "night". Image File history File linksMetadata Chand_raat. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Chand_raat. ... Hyderabad   or Hidarābād // (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు,Urdu: حیدر آباد ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ... (اردو), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ... Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu... (اردو), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ... Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu... Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... The word Eid can mean several things: There are two Islamic festivals of Eid: One is called Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, The other is Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) or Eid-e Qurban (Persian: عید قربان) which is celebrated to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ... Melbourne skyline at night Night or nighttime is the period in which the sun is below the horizon. ...

Chaand Raat is a time of celebration when families and friends gather in open areas at the end of the last day of Ramadan to spot the new moon, which signals the arrival of the Islamic month of Shawwal and the day of Eid. Once the moon is sighted, people wish each other Chaand Raat Mubarak ("Have a blessed night of the new moon") or Eid Mubarak ("Blessings of the Eid day"). Women and girls decorate their hands with mehndi (henna), and people prepare desserts for the next day of Eid and do the last round of shopping. This article is about Islamic religious observances in the month of Ramadan. ... The lunar phase depends on the Moons position in orbit around Earth. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Look up Month in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shawwal is the tenth month on the Islamic calendar. ... Eid mubarak is a traditional Muslim greeting reserved for use on the festivals of Eid ul-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr. ... Mehandi on a hand Another intricate Mehandi pattern Mehndi (or mehendi or mehandi or mylanji or gorantak) is the application of henna (Hindustani: हेना حنا) as a temporary form of skin decoration, most popular in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Somaliland as well as expatriate communities from these areas. ... Henna (Lawsonia inermis, syn. ...

City streets wear a festive look, and brightly decorated malls and markets remain open late into the night. In socio-cultural significance, this night is comparable to Christmas Eve in Christian nations. The Christmas Eve (1904-05), watercolor painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) Christmas Eve, the evening of December 24th, the preceding day or vigil before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the Christmas season. ... Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ...

Background

Although Chaand Raat celebrations are linked with both kinds of Eid, they have their ‎origin in Eid ul-Fitr, which is celebrated on the 1st of Shawwal. As the beginning ‎of an Islamic month depends on the first sighting of the lunar crescent, the ‎month of Ramadan can be of either 29 or 30 days. The term Chaand Raat refers ‎to the evening on which first lunar crescent of the month of Shawwal is observed. As the ‎exact day of an Eid ul-Fitr is a matter of debate, because of the uncertainty of the Islamic ‎Calendar, therefore, its Chaand Raat is considered more festive than that of Eid ul-‎Adha.‎ The word Eid can mean several things: There are two Islamic festivals of Eid: One is called Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, The other is Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) or Eid-e Qurban (Persian: عید قربان) which is celebrated to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim... Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īd al-Fiá¹­r), often abbreviated as simply Eid, is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. ... Shawwal is the tenth month on the Islamic calendar. ... The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري; at-taqwÄ«m al-hijrÄ«; Persian: گاه‌شماری هجري قمری ‎ Gāhshomāri-ye hejri-ye qamari; also called the Hijri calendar) is the calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to... Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd al-’Aḍḥā) occurs on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. ...

Chaand Raat of Eid ul-Adha is not celebrated by all Muslims of South Asia, partly ‎because these celebrations are mostly related to Eid ul-Fitr. Eid ul-Adha is celebrated on the ‎‎10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, which means, unlike Eid ul-Fitr, its day is decided 9 days in ‎advance, because of which, in opinion of some Muslims, its Chaand Raat loses its ‎festiveness.‎ This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. ... Dhu al-Hijja ( ذو الحجة ) is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic Calendar. ...

External links

• Moon sighting curves