When is Oraza Bayram?
In 2026, Oraza Bayram falls on Friday, March 20, 2026. It is classified here as a Turkmen public holiday.
History of Oraza Bayram
Oraza Bayram is Turkmenistan’s name for Eid al-Fitr, the feast that follows Ramadan. After a month shaped by fasting, prayer and charitable practice, the holiday brings worship, greetings and family visiting to the foreground. It is one of two Islamic holidays recognised as a nationwide non-working day by Article 81.
Its civil date moves through the Gregorian calendar because it follows the Hijri lunar calendar. The President determines the date annually by decree: in 2026, the decree named March 20. This calendar supplies a long-range planning estimate, but the annual official notice must take priority for travel, work arrangements and public-service planning.
For 2026, the presidential decree fixed Oraza Bayram on Friday March 20 and separately moved the Sunday rest attached to the second Novruz day, March 22, to Monday March 23. The resulting break joined adjacent dates but did not merge the Islamic feast with the National Spring Holiday. Future dates remain estimates until a new decree is published, and no additional festival days should be inferred from the 2026 arrangement.
How Oraza Bayram is observed
A nationwide non-working public holiday on the officially decreed day of Oraza Bayram. The displayed date is a planning estimate; confirm the annual decree.
Traditions of Oraza Bayram
Prayer and greetings
Many Muslims begin Oraza Bayram with prayer and warm greetings to relatives, neighbours and friends. Participation and form vary between households, institutions and communities across Turkmenistan.
Hospitality
Homes welcome visitors with tea, sweets and shared meals, especially across the extended family. Programmes differ between Ashgabat, regional centres and rural communities each year.
Generosity and care
Charity and attention to elders, neighbours and people in need are important parts of the holiday’s social meaning. Local organisers determine the scale, timing and precise format of each activity.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Turkmen legal and official guidance. Lunar dates and annual non-working-day schedules should be confirmed against official notices.
History sources: Labour Code of Turkmenistan, Article 81: holidays and memorial days, Mejlis of Turkmenistan: national holidays and general information, President of Turkmenistan: 2026 Oraza Bayram decree.
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