If not, then the biggest religious festival of the Muslims will be celebrated on Thursday.

The possibility of sighting moon this evening is more than 90 per cent, sources at the Meteorological Office said. If Shawal moon is sighted today, the fasting month of Ramadan will end in 29 days.

The sky is likely to be less cloudy and the Shawal moon will be sighted at the west-west and southern corner at 17 degrees altitude throughout the country, the duty officer at the Met Office in Dhaka told the Daily Star last night.

Sources at the Islamic Foundation said the National Moon Sighting Committee will sit this evening to see the moon.

Thousands of people have already left Dhaka for their respective village homes to celebrate the Eid with their loved ones. Still, trains, launches and buses witnessed a heavy rush of passengers yesterday as many headed home at the last minute to spend time with their relatives.

The government and semi-government offices went on a four-day Eid holiday from yesterday. The offices will open next Saturday.

Most of the private offices and business houses closed their offices a few days back to leave the staff with plenty of time to celebrate Eid.

In capital Dhaka, people gathered in large numbers at every shopping centre and shopping malls to buy clothes and goods of their choices.

President Iajuddin Ahmed and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday in separate messages extended the warmest greetings and then heartiest facilitation to all heads of state and government of Muslim countries on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr.