Moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eid Al Fitr on Thursday

Eid al-Fitr will begin on Thursday May 13 as the Shawwal moon was not sighted on Tuesday, according to the Haramain Sharifain Twitter account posting live from the Tumair observatory in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom’s Moon Sighting Committee at the Tumair observatory did not see the crescent moon on Tuesday, according to Haramain Sharifain. Eid al-Fitr would have started one day earlier had the moon been seen.
The Eid al-Fitr celebrations mark the end of a month of piety and all-day fasting for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims.
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court had called on all worshippers in the Kingdom to watch the skies for the appearance of the crescent moon, which must be seen with the naked eye in order to officially mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar month of Shawwal.
Muslims follow a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. Eid al-Fitr is traditionally celebrated with large gatherings for worshippers to pray and break their fasts.