Eid Al-Fitr

EID AL-FITR T he literal meaning of Eid al-Fitr is “the festival of breaking the fast”—a celebration that marks the end of fasting and the start of eating and drinking again. It is an annual Islamic festival observed on the first day of Shawwal, right after Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is a simple and joyful celebration; nothing in it is mandatory or obligatory; all its practices are either Sunnah (recommended) or encouraged. While fasting is not allowed on the day of Eid al-Fitr, no specific actions have been made obligatory. Essentially, Eid al-Fitr is a day of joyful celebration and relief after a month of intense spiritual effort. On the day of Eid al-Fitr, Muslims wake up in the morning, take a bath, wear new clothes, apply perfume, eat something sweet (like seviyan in the indian subcontinent), and then go to the mosque for the congregational prayer. There, they offer two rak‘ahs. In this prayer, the words “Allah-u-Akbar” (God is the Greatest) are said more often than in regular prayers. After the prayer, everyone prays