Good Time to Visit
Weather
Warm and tropical with a hot and rainy season from November to May. This includes a tropical monsoonal wind called kashkazi, or cyclone. It is cooler and dryer from June to October. (More information may be found in Climate in Comoros).
Visitors are advised to bring lightweight cottons and linens with waterproofing during the rainy season; warmer clothing and rainwear are recommended for the mountains.
Festivals
Most of the events on Comoros are connected to Islamic holy days, the dates of which differ from year to year. Of central importance is Ramadan, the traditional period of fasting for the Islamic world. Id-ul-Fitr, which marks the new moon, and signals the end of Ramadan, is also a time of celebration. Mayotte celebrates both Muslim holidays and the European holidays of Bastille Day, on 14 July, and Christmas Day, on 25 December.
On 6 July, the country celebrates Independence Day, to mark the declaration of independence from France in 1975.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Comoros:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 18 March | Anniversary of the Death of President Said Mohamed Cheikh |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 25 May | Anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity |
| 29 May | Anniversary of the Death of President Ali Soilih |
| 6 July | Independence Day |
| 26 November | Anniversary of the Death of President Ahmed Abdallah |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Ashoura |
| Variable* | Birth of the Prophet |
| Variable* | Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Muharram (Islamic New Year) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.