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Muslims in India observe all the Islamic festivals celebrated internationally. In addition, they have the days commemorating shrines in India and death anniversaries of saints, which are known as Urs.

All the Muslim festivals and observances follow the Islamic calendar which has fewer days than the solar year. So, each year, the festival dates keep coming forward. The important Muslim festivals are Ramzan (Ramadan), Muharram, Id-e-Milad and Bakr-Id.

Of these, by far the most important is the festival of Ramzan, which extends through the Islamic month of the same name. It almost acquires the character of a nationwide fair, with particularly the Muslim areas becoming bright and lively towards the evening and remaining awake almost through the night.

Muharram is a day of mourning for the Shia Muslims, and is better called an observance than a festival. It doesn't form part of the calendar of the Sunni Muslims. Id-e-Milad is a particularly holy day because Prophet Mohammed was born and died on this day of the Muslim calendar. Bakr-Id commemorates Ibrahim's sacrifice of his son at God's command.

Most of the Islamic festivals involve fasting, feasting or sacrifices, and are occasions for Muslims as a community to get together and strengthen their bonds of brotherhood.

Apart from these festivals and observances which deal with Prophet Mohammed and the scriptures, the Urs, which are localised events, are also important occasions. Often, in the town or region where the Urs is observed, there is a great deal of festivity. Notable among them is the Ajmer Urs, which attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and is accompanied by the biggest Muslim fair in India.

All the Muslim holy days are observed all over India, but customs tend to vary from region to region, and are influenced heavily by local customs, lifestyles, geography and climate.