Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslim community, on August 1 this year.
The National Moon Sighting Committee made the announcement on Tuesday evening following a meeting, according to a Bangla Tribune report.
The new moon for the month of Zilhajj was not sighted anywhere in Bangladesh on Tuesday, the report stated.
This means the 30th or the last day of Zilqad will end and the month of Zilhajj will begin on Wednesday evening in Bangladesh.
The meeting, presided over by Religious Affairs Secretary Md Nurul Islam, was held after Maghrib prayers at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia announced that the kingdom would celebrate Eid-ul-Azha on July 31.
Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the 10th day of Zilhajj, the 12th month in the Islamic lunar calendar.
The biggest part of Eid-ul-Azha is Hajj, which is performed in Mecca and Medina, the two holy cities in Saudi Arabia, by millions of Muslims coming from around the world every year.
However, this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions have been imposed on Hajj.
On June 22, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially informed Bangladesh about the cancellation of the traditional Hajj this year.
In a telephone conversation, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen that fewer than 1,000 intending Hajjis (pilgrims), domestic as well as international, would be permitted to perform Hajj this year owing to the Covid-19 situation, the Foreign Ministry said on June 23.
Over two million Muslims, including 127,000 from Bangladesh, took part in last year's Hajj, the largest annual congregation in the world.
Foreign Minister Momen termed the decision by Saudia Arabia “wise,” given the circumstances.