Chechnya marks Uraza-Bairam one day later than the rest of the world

The believing Moslems of Chechnya celebrated their Uraza-Bairam ('Id al-Fitr) yesterday, on September 21. Like in recent years, the celebrations in the republic passed later than in other Russian regions and other Moslem countries. The believers blame local clergy for these discrepancies and doubt the reason of their actions.

"From year to year we watch the same. The fasting month starts in Chechnya one day later, and, accordingly, the Uraza-Bairam is also marked one day later than in the rest of the world. Our Muftiyat keeps asserting that they do everything right and coordinated the date with the clergy of Saudi Arabia. But it's totally unreal that all over the world the Uraza-Bairam is marked on one day, and only in Chechnya - on the following one," said Saipuddi Murtazov, a resident of Grozny.

The clergy, in their turn, are not inclined to dramatize the situation. "The precondition to start the month of Ramadan is the appearance of the full moon in the sky; if it is not seen, the fasting does not start. Besides, it is not allowed to fast on Friday; and since this year the first day of Ramadan fell on Friday, it means that it should have been delayed till the following Saturday," a mullah from a Grozny mosques asserts.