The Maharashtra government has announced a rescheduling of the Eid-e-Milad holiday in Mumbai from September 16 to September 18, following an official notification issued on Friday.
The move comes in response to requests from Muslim MLAs and organisations, who sought to shift the date to avoid clashing with Ganpati immersion ceremonies. Processions for Eid-e-Milad will now take place on September 18.
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The notification reads, “Among the 24 public holidays notified by the State Government, the Eid-e-Milad holiday is indicated on Monday, September 16, 2024. Eid-e-Milad, a religious festival of Muslims, is widely celebrated by the Muslim community on a large scale. A procession program is organised on this occasion. On Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, since there is the Hindu festival of Anant Chaturdashi, to maintain peace and social harmony between the two communities, the Muslim Community has decided to organise the procession program on Wednesday, 18th September, 2024. Therefore, the public holiday of Eid-e-Milad is being declared on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 instead of Monday, September 16, 2024.”
It further stated that outside Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburbs, district collectors will have the discretion to either keep the holiday on September 16 or shift it to September 18, depending on local procession schedules.
This decision was taken to “maintain peace and social harmony” between the communities, given the overlapping festivals.
Eid-e-Milad, which celebrates the birth of Prophet Muhammad, is marked by processions in many parts of the world.