The UAE's moon-sighting committee will look to the skies to decide the start date of Eid Al Fitr on Tuesday evening.
They will meet after maghrib prayers to attempt to sight the new crescent moon which would herald the start of the month of Shawwal, which has the Eid festival at its beginning.
If the new moon is visible, the holiday will begin on Wednesday.
If not, it will start the following day.
Astronomers previously forecast that Ramadan will likely consist of 30 days in the UAE, therefore Eid Al Fitr is expected to fall on Thursday.
The length of the lunar calendar is 29 days, plus some additional hours, which means the month can last 29 or 30 days, depending on the orbit
“The moon does not circulate or orbit the Earth at the same time every month, sometimes the orbit is longer and sometimes shorter. There is usually a difference of about six hours each month,” said Dr Hasan Al Hariri, chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group.
“The length of the lunar calendar is 29 days, plus some additional hours, which means the month can last 29 or 30 days, depending on the orbit.
“With that element in play, we have to understand that this is how we determine the right position of the crescent to announce a new month.
“Looking at the crescent, it should be high in the sky and bright, not dim.”
Traders hopeful of busy Eid:
Dr Hariri said on Tuesday the moon would set before the sun by 11 minutes, so there will not be a clear sighting of the moon.
Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is solar, the Islamic calendar is lunar, meaning the date for Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr change each year. Typically, an Islamic month is 29 to 30 days long, but not 31 days.
What is Eid Al Fitr?
Eid Al Fitr marks the end of the month-long fasting period.
Noted as a festive holiday, people across the Arab world and Muslim nations often celebrate the occasion with family and friends, sharing food, gifts and prayers and offering charity to those in need.
It is the first of two Eids of the Islamic calendar, with Eid Al Adha observed later in the year.
This year, with Covid-19 restrictions in place, well-wishers in the UAE have been urged to celebrate at home with immediate family to help stem the spread of infection.
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Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
