President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday declared April 21 as a regular holiday for the observance of Eid’l Fitr, or the culmination of the Fasting of Ramadan.

Marcos signed Proclamation No. 201 after the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended to declare the date a national holiday.

“In order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, and to allow the entire Filipino nation to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in peace and harmony in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr, it is necessary to declare Friday, 21 April 2023, a regular holiday throughout the country,” the proclamation read.

Eid’l Fitr, one of the two most important Islamic celebrations, is observed by the Muslim community three days after the month-long Ramadan fasting.

The other important celebration, Eid al-Adha of The Feast of the Sacrifice, is celebrated on the 10th day of the last month of the Islamic calendar and commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son to God.

Eid al-Adha also marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the 5th Pillar of Islam.

Muslim Filipinos comprise about six percent of the population.

To honor country’s Islamic heritage, the government in 2002 established Eid’l Fitr as a regular holiday by virtue of Republic Act 9177 and Presidential Proclamation 1083.

The holiday is determined by the use of the lunar-based Islamic calendar through the sighting of the crescent moon in the Islamic month of Shawwal. (PNA)