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Winter 2015

Celebration

vector eid-al-fitr background with golden decorated moon and star mosque

Eid al Fitr is an Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day. This festival is called “festival of breaking the fast", and is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal, which is the tenth month in the Muslim (lunar) calendar. A common greeting during Eid al-Fitr is “Eid Mubarak," which means “Blessed Eid." This greeting is used to wish other Muslims well during Eid.

During the first day of this festival, Muslims around the world get up very early, wearing the most beautiful clothes, they go to the mosque to perform communal prayer. They then continue to celebrate for three days, visiting family and friends, giving presents, enjoying feasts, and visiting the graves of relatives. Through these celebrations, Muslims show their gratitude to Allah after reflecting and fasting during Ramadan. This holiday is also a reminder for Muslims to be grateful for what they have as well as to help the less fortunate. This is known as zakat, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Zakat is a requirement that all Muslims with the means to do so donate to the less fortunate. Zakat significantly increases during Ramadan and continues as an important part of Eid al-Fitr.