The Ministry for the Interior has declared Thursday, April 11, 2024, a public holiday.
A statement signed by the Minister for the Interior, Henry Quartey, said the day “has been declared a Public Holiday to mark Eid-ul-Fitr”.
The statement further called on Ghanaians to observe the day as a statutory public holiday throughout the country.
Eid ul-Fitr celebration is one of the two major holidays Muslims celebrate.
It marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.
The celebration falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar; this does not always fall on the same Gregorian day, as the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when local religious authorities sight the new moon.
The annual festivity is commemorated with a community-wide prayer service in the morning, followed by meals and conversations with friends and family.
Then, a mandatory charity called Zakat al-Fitr is collected before the prayer and distributed to the poor and needy to ensure all participate in the festivities joyfully.
Eid ul-Fitr is an Arabic term meaning, “Festival of Breaking the Fast”.