Chaand Raat

Chaand Raat
A crescent moon marking the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr in 2020
Observed by	Muslims
Type	Cultural
Related to	First eve of Shawwal, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha

Chaand Raat (lit. 'Night of the moon') is a South Asian Cultural observance on the eve of the festival of Eid al-Fitr; it can also mean a night with a new moon for the new Islamic month Shawwal. 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 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 last rounds of shopping.^[1] City streets have a festive look, and brightly decorated malls and markets remain open late into the night.^[2][3] Chaand Raat is celebrated festively and passionately by Muslims (and occasionally non-Muslims as well) all over South Asia, and in socio-cultural significance, is comparable to Christmas Eve.