The Islamic calendar (or Hijri calendar) is a purely lunar calendar. It contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12 synodic months are only 12 x 29.53= 354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a tropical year, and therefore it shifts approximately 10-12 days every year with respect to the Gregorian calendar.

Ashura falls on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunnis, Ashura commemorates the exodus of Moses from Egypt, and is usually observed by completing an optional fast as practiced by the Prophet Muhammad. For Shi'as it marks the tragic anniversary of the death of the Prophet's grandson, Husain at the hands of Ummayyad ruler, Yazid. The day is marked with mourning and even enactments of the tragic event.

Ramadan is an Islamic month during which Muslims (believers in Islam) fast daily from dawn to sunset as part of an effort towards self-purification and moral excellence. Ramadan is believed to be the month, in which, the first verses of the Quran (divine Scripture & Final Testament) were revealed by God to Prophet Mohammad between 610 and 633 CE.

Holiday occurring after the completion of Ramadan, lasting three days during which Muslims celebrate with special prayers followed by community celebrations.

The Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca, consists of several ceremonies meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, such as submission, brotherhood, and unity, and to commemorate the trials of the Prophet Abraham and his family. Required once in a Muslim’s lifetime, over two million Muslims perform the pilgrimage annually.

Holiday occurring on the third day of the Hajj, lasting four days. It commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, who was replaced by a lamb.

Marks the beginning of a New Year in the Islamic calendar. There are an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, making Muslims one of the world's largest religious group in the United States. There are an estimated 6-8 million Muslims in America, making Muslims the second largest religious group in the United States. While the majority of American Muslims were born in this country, they are from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds: African-American, South Asian, Arab, African, Persian, and the remaining are European, Southeast Asian and Turkish.

Aashura: December 27, 2009
Ramadan: August 11 - September 8, 2010
Eid ul-Fitr: September 9, 2010
Hajj: November 14 - November 17, 2010
Eid ul-Adha: November 16, 2010
Islamic New Year: December 7, 2010 (1432 A.H.)

Aashura: December 16, 2010
Ramadan: August 1 - August 29, 2011
Eid ul-Fitr: August 30, 2011
Hajj: November 4 - November 7, 2011
Eid ul-Adha: November 6, 2011
Islamic New Year: November 26, 2011 (1433 A.H.)

Islamic New Year: November 26, 2011 (1433 A.H.*)
Aashura: December 5, 2011
Ramadan: July 20 - August 18, 2012
Eid ul-Fitr: August 19, 2012
Hajj: October 24 - October 27, 2012
Eid ul-Adha: October 26, 2012

Islamic New Year: November 15, 2012 (1434 A.H.*)
Aashura: November 24, 2012
Ramadan: July 9 - August 8, 2013
Eid ul-Fitr: August 9, 2013
Hajj: October 13 - October 16, 2013
Eid ul-Adha: October 15, 2013
Islamic New Year: November 4, 2013 (1435 A.H.*)

*After Hijrah. (Hijrah means "migration" in Arabic. This refers to the migration that the Prophet Muhammad made from Mecca to Medina in the year 610 C.E., which marks the beginning of the Islamic Calendar.)

Please Note: Dates are subject to local sightings of the new moon.