Awqaf’s Moon Sighting Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday evening to announce the starting date of Eid Al-Fitr.

Qatar’s residents can perform the Eid Al-Fitr prayers at 675 mosques and prayer grounds across the country, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) announced on Saturday.

The long list of mosques and prayer sites includes the newly-opened Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani mosque in The Pearl. Other areas covered include Lusail, Al Khor, Umm Salal, Duhail, and Al Wakrah among others.

The number of prayer locations this year is up from 642 announced by Awqaf last year for Eid Al-Fitr. This year, the prayers will begin at 5:32am local time.

The first day of the festivity is celebrated by performing Eid prayers at the crack of dawn. This would usually take place with large crowds of worshippers at mosques or outdoor prayer areas, as per traditions by Prophet Muhammad.

Once the sermon is done, Muslims often turn to one another to shake hands and congratulate each other on the occasion of Eid. Qatari men are usually dressed in their bishts, a traditional clothing, and their newest white thobes.

Astronomical calculations by the Qatar Calendar House (QCH) and Kuwaiti Al-Ojairi Scientific Center set April 10 as the starting date of this year’s Eid Al-Fitr.

The astronomers noted that the sighting of the Islamic month of Shawwal’s crescent will be impossible on the evening of the sighting day in Qatar and the rest of the region. They believe “the crescent will not have been born at sunset” on the scheduled sighting date.

The QCH and the Kuwaiti Al-Ojairi Scientific Center are among the most ancient astronomy and space entities in the region.

However, the official decision remains to be declared by Awqaf’s Moon Sighting Committee on Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, Awqaf called on the local population to detect the crescent moon on Monday evening before the committee’s meeting.

According to the Islamic Hijri calendar, months begin and end depending on the movement of the moon in its orbit around the Earth. Gregorian months are determined by the movement of the Earth in its orbit around the sun.

Oftentimes, countries in the region base their announcements on that of Saudi Arabia, though errors can happen in the moon sighting process. For example, Riyadh announced Eid Al Fitr in 2015 a day early as experts spotted Saturn instead of the crescent.

This year, some countries in the region began their Ramadan fast on March 11 and others started on March 12 due to their inability to detect the crescent moon.

In the event of mistakes, authorities would pay donations, known as “kaffarah”, for making Muslims miss out on fasting on the last day of the holy month.