Islamic calendar facts for kids

The Islamic calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري) is a special way to keep track of time. It's used by many Muslims around the world. This calendar helps them know when important Islamic holidays happen.

It's a lunar calendar, which means it follows the cycles of the Moon. It has 12 months. Most years have 354 days, but some have 355 days. This makes the Islamic calendar about 11 days shorter than a solar calendar, like the Gregorian calendar we use every day.

Islamic years are often called Hijra years. This is because the first year of the calendar marks a very important event. This event was the Hijra, when Prophet Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina.

The current Islamic Calendar year is 1442 H (H stands for Hijri year).

Two countries, Iran and Afghanistan, use a slightly different calendar called the Solar Hijri calendar.

How the Islamic Calendar Works

The Islamic calendar is based on the Moon's phases. A lunar month, from one new moon to the next, is a bit longer than 29.5 days. To make it simple, months in the Islamic calendar are either 29 or 30 days long. They usually switch back and forth.

Most years have 12 months, adding up to 354 days. However, because of those extra minutes each month, an extra day is needed almost every three years. These years are called leap years and have 355 days. This helps keep the calendar accurate with the Moon's actual movements.

Months of the Islamic Year

The Islamic calendar has 12 months. Each month has a special name and meaning.

Images for kids

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  An Islamic Calendar stamp from King Khalid airport (10 Rajab 1428 / 24 July 2007).

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  Clerics observe the moon.

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  Civil and Hijri establishment dates of a library in Old City, Jerusalem.

See also

In Spanish: Calendario musulmán para niños