Every year the same thing happens. Ramadan starts with good intentions about worship, and by the last ten nights half the family is in a shopping centre at 10 pm looking for shoes. Then Eid morning arrives, someone's outfit doesn't fit, and nobody remembered to pay Zakat al-Fitr.
This checklist spreads the work out so the important nights stay clear. Dates assume Ramadan starts on 8 February 2027 and Eid falls on 9 or 10 March. Tick off what you can and skip what doesn't apply to you.
Before Ramadan (January to early February)
- Make up any fasts you still owe from last Ramadan.
- Ask for time off work or school for both possible Eid days, 9 and 10 March.
- If you're travelling to family for Eid, book now. Prices only go up.
- Work out roughly what Eid will cost: clothes, gifts, Eidi, food, travel. Set the money aside so Ramadan isn't spent worrying about it.
- Order anything that has to be tailored or shipped from abroad. Seamstresses get booked up weeks before Eid.
Ramadan, week one (8 to 14 February)
- Settle into a routine for suhoor, iftar and prayer before adding anything else.
- Make a list of who you'll give gifts and Eidi to, and decide how much.
- If you host on Eid, decide now: lunch or dinner, how many people, which dishes.
Ramadan, week two (15 to 21 February)
- Buy Eid clothes, for children especially. They're easier to shop for now, before sizes sell out.
- Buy or make gift envelopes for Eidi and get some clean notes from the bank.
- Make anything that freezes well: samosas, kebabs, cookie dough, ma'amoul. (See our two favourite Eid sweets.)
Ramadan, week three (22 to 27 February)
- Finish the shopping. Seriously, aim to have it all done by the 27th, before the last ten nights begin that evening.
- Wrap gifts and fill the Eidi envelopes.
- Check where and when the Eid prayer will be held. Many mosques run several prayers, or hold one outdoors, and announce the details around now.
- Find out the Zakat al-Fitr amount per person from your mosque or chosen charity.
The last ten nights (27 February to 8 March)
- Protect your evenings. This is the part of Ramadan most worth guarding. Our guide to Laylat al-Qadr has a realistic plan.
- Pay Zakat al-Fitr for everyone in your household. A day or two before Eid is ideal; it must be before the prayer.
- Set up a small donation for each of the odd nights, or all ten.
- Clean and tidy the house a little at a time, instead of all on the last night.
- Plan the Eid morning route: who's driving, where to park, when to leave.
The evening of 29 Ramadan (Monday 8 March)
- Wait for the announcement from your mosque or moon-sighting committee.
- If Eid is tomorrow: start the takbir, lay out clothes, put dates by the door, charge phones and set alarms.
- If Ramadan goes to thirty days: enjoy one more taraweeh, and one more night that might be Laylat al-Qadr.
- Prep breakfast so the morning isn't spent in the kitchen. Sheer khurma can be made the night before.
Eid morning
- Wake early, pray Fajr and take a ghusl.
- Wear your best clothes. Perfume for men.
- Eat an odd number of dates before you leave.
- Say the takbir on the way to the prayer.
- Pray the Eid prayer and stay for the sermon. If you've never prayed it, read how the Eid prayer works beforehand.
- Come home by a different route.
- Call the relatives you can't visit, especially older ones.
- Remember Dhuhr. It's the prayer that most often gets lost in Eid lunch.
The week after
- Plan your six fasts of Shawwal.
- Thank anyone who hosted you or sent gifts.
- Pick one Ramadan habit and try to keep it going, even a small one.
Print this, stick it on the fridge, and cross things off as you go. Future you, on the 26th night of Ramadan, will be grateful.