Today more than 1.5 million of the world's Muslims bid farewell to the holy month of Ramadan, deemed the most blessed and beneficial of all months, and enthusiastically welcome Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr is a three-day holiday that marks the end of the month of fasting.
Eid is an Arabic term meaning “festivity” or “celebration,” while fitr means “to break the fast” and can also mean “nature” from the word “fitra.” Eid falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. It is a time to give in charity to those in need and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy. On the first day of Eid, Muslims wake up very early and pray the Morning Prayer. Afterwards, they eat a small meal, a symbolic act that reminds them that Ramadan is over. They then gather in mosques to perform the Eid prayer -- congregational prayers held for the occasion of Eid. The prayer is made up of two cycles and is followed by a sermon.
Worshippers greet and hug one another in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer in celebration of one another's Eid. They later disperse to visit their families and friends, give gifts to one another and make phone calls to distant relatives to convey good wishes for the holiday. Eid lasts for three days and is generally an official holiday in Muslim countries.
Muslims around the world share in the great blessing of the tranquil and spiritual Eid morning. It is a joyous occasion of important religious significance, celebrating the increase in piety with which God blesses the world during the month of Ramadan. It is a day of forgiveness and moral victory as well as of brotherhood and unity. Muslims celebrate not only the end of fasting, but also thank God for the help and strength that he bestowed upon them throughout the month of fasting, during which they endured their fast with not only a physical but also a spiritual asceticism -- that is, they have controlled their stomachs, their tongues and their hearts, so they have successfully passed the test of servant hood. It is a time of giving and sharing.
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