Eid-Ul-Fitr & Eid-Ul-Adha
Eid-Ul-Fitr is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramaddan, the month of fasting. “Fitr” means to break the
fast and therefore symbolises the breaking of the fasting period. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim
family is awake very early to pray. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment will be commonly observed
with visits to the homes of the relatives and friends in thanking God for all blessings. Eid is a time to come together
as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. This is a time for peace for all Muslims in the world to
devote to prayers and mutual well-being.
For Muslims, Eid-Ul-Fitr is a joyful celebration of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral
victory and peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims here are not only celebrating the end
of fasting, but thanking God for the help and strength that they believe He have them throughout the previous
month to help them practise self-control. It is a time of giving and sharing, similar to Christmas in Christianity.
Common greetings during this holiday are the Arabic greeting “Eid Mubrarak” or “Eid saeed” which loosely
translated, mean “Happy Eid!”. In addition, many countries have their own greetings based on the local language
and traditions. Muslims are encouraged to dress in their best clothes every Eid. If they are in the financial position to
do so, they are also encouraged to make extra effort on their appearance.
On Eid I make a big effort to dress in my best clothes, and get my hair and make-up done. This is because Eid is
a big part of me and it is a big celebration undertaken by all my Muslim friends and family. Every Eid is special and
important but to me, Eid-Ul-Fitr is the most important one because I celebrate the hard work that I have undertaken
when fasting.
I get ready in the morning and then make my way to my grandparents’ house, where most of the family lives.
As the head of the family, my grandparents host our main gathering place. It is the day where everyone takes time
out from work or college to meet the rest of the relatives. We eat special food that has been prepared on the day,
and have fun. We also pay respects to all the elders in our family, and I do this by extending my salam.
After I spend some quality time with the family, I go out with my friends. My friends hire cars for two days and take
us to special places, such as Alexander Palace, Epping Forest and other places that we wouldn’t usually go as a
group having fun. We also go clubbing to celebrate after not being able to during the Ramaddan month.
The same applies to Eid-Ul-Adha. Eid-Ul-Adha occurs on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. It is one
of the two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Eid-Ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate
Prophet Ibrahim’s faith when tested, he was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah (God). Others celebrate
Eid-Ul-Adha as it marks the end of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca
each year.
Sophie Uddin
