When is Mawlid?
In 2026, Mawlid falls on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. It is classified here as a Indonesian public holiday.
History of Mawlid
Mawlid, known in Indonesia as Maulid Nabi Muhammad SAW, commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. It is a national public holiday, though the style of observance is richly local: mosque programmes, sermons, recitation, community meals and regional cultural traditions all give the occasion different textures.
For many people, the date is a chance to study the Prophet's life and renew habits of generosity and care. Traditions range from recitation of devotional biographies and communal meals to regionally rooted events such as Sekaten in parts of Java. Indonesia's Muslim organisations and scholars do not all express Mawlid identically, so a national guide should neither prescribe one ritual nor turn local cultural practice into a universal religious requirement.
The 2026 SKB schedules Maulid Nabi Muhammad SAW for Tuesday, August 25. There is no collective-leave date attached. Because the holiday follows 12 Rabi al-Awwal, future civil dates remain subject to the annual SKB and Ministry of Religious Affairs process rather than a foreign calendar. Government offices close; mosques, schools and community organisers publish their own programmes, while transport, health, tourism and other necessary services maintain staffing.
How Mawlid is observed
A nationwide national public holiday scheduled for August 25 in the 2026 SKB, corresponding to 12 Rabi al-Awwal. The shown civil date is a planning estimate. Indonesia’s annual Joint Ministerial Decree and the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ announcements take precedence.
Traditions of Mawlid
Worship and reflection
Mawlid is marked through prayer, reflection or visits to places of worship according to the practices of Indonesia's participating communities.
Family hospitality
Families observing Mawlid may share meals, visit relatives and offer food, with customs varying among Indonesia's regions and congregations.
Respectful local variation
Mawlid practices differ across Indonesia's islands, denominations, religious organisations and households, so visitors should follow local community guidance.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Indonesian official and legal guidance. Lunar dates and annual joint-ministerial, government or employer schedules should be confirmed against official notices.
History sources: Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture: 2026 national holidays and collective leave, Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform: Joint Ministerial Decree No. 5 of 2025, State Secretariat: 2026 Joint Ministerial Decree, Ministry of Manpower legal database: Ministerial Decision No. 2 of 2025, Indonesia Ministry of Religious Affairs: Mawlid guidance and programmes.
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