JAKARTA, March 20 — Several Muslim groups in Indonesia have marked Hari Raya Aidilfitri earlier than the government-designated date, with celebrations taking place across the country today.
ANTARA news agency reported that in Central Kalimantan, members of Muhammadiyah held Aidilfitri prayers at 56 locations across multiple regencies and cities.
Muhammadiyah Central Kalimantan chairman Ahmad Syar’i said the organisation has begun implementing the Global Hijri Calendar, introduced in June 2025, to unify the Islamic calendar worldwide.
“It means the day and date are the same; the only difference is the time, just like the Gregorian calendar.
“This step was preceded by conducting ijtihad, research, studies, and in-depth examination of Quranic verses and hadith linked to astronomical phenomena,” he said during an Aidilfitri sermon at Universitas Muhammadiyah Palangka Raya Campus II.
Prayers across the province were also conducted in areas including Palangka Raya, Pulang Pisau, East Barito and South Barito, among others.
Meanwhile, in Gorontalo, a province located on the northern arm of Sulawesi Island in eastern Indonesia, some Muslims also observed Aidilfitri today with prayers at mosques.
North Gorontalo Regional House of Representatives Commission II member Fitri Yusup Husain said the early observance was not about determining who is right, but about devotion.
“Praying today or tomorrow, the point is we remain one as a community,” she said, adding that the decision to celebrate on March 20 was based on personal conviction.
Aidilfitri, which marked the end of Ramadan, was also celebrated by thousands of followers of the Syattariyah Islamic order in Nagan Raja Regency, Aceh, on March 19, who determined the date using a traditional calculation system known as 'Hisab Bilangan Lima'.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has officially set March 21 as the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri based on both astronomical calculations (hisab) and physical moon sighting (rukyah).
