Note on the Hijah or Islamic Calendar:
One of the more confusing aspects of marketing lamb for Islamic holidays is that these events do not occur within specific seasons or on fixed dates of the Gregorian (Western) calendar. Since ~638 AD, the timing of these observances has been determined using the Islamic (Hijah) calendar. This calendar has twelve months with each new month beginning at sunset on the day the crescent moon appears. As the calendar is based on lunar activity, the 12-month rotation occurs in approximately 354 days. Therefore the months move backwards through the seasons and occur approximately 11days earlier every year according to the Western calendar. The start of each month of the Hijah calendar is based on actual sightings of the moon and/or astronomical calculations. The importance of sightings versus calculations varies from place to place, with some relying heavily on physical sightings and others using only calculations. If sightings are required, the first day of the month may vary slightly from the predicted starting date depending on atmospheric conditions and other events affecting the sightings.
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