Current:Home > NewsWhat is Eid al-Fitr? What to know about the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan-LoTradeCoin
What is Eid al-Fitr? What to know about the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan
View Date:2024-12-24 00:28:27
As Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims are getting ready to commemorate the month of fasting, spirituality and reflection.
Eid Al-Fitr, Arabic for “the celebration of breaking the fast," is expected to fall on or around Wednesday, April 10, this year. The holiday starts once the crescent moon signifying the start of the month of Shawwal in the Islamic Hijri calendar is spotted.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and spend time in self-reflection and prayer.
What is Eid al-Fitr?
Eid al-Fitr marks the first day Muslims return to their regular lifestyles. In fact, it's forbidden to fast on this day.
"God has given us that one special day for us to celebrate our ability to get through that one month," Khalid Mozaffar, director of communications and outreach at the American Islamic Association in Frankfort, Illinois, told USA TODAY.
What do Muslims do on Eid al-Fitr?
The Eid prayer is a cornerstone of celebration. Muslims will congregate in their local mosques in the early hours of the first day of Eid to perform this prayer.
Muslims are also obligated to pay Zakat al-Fitr, a mandatory charity of food that must be given before the Eid prayer.
Every Muslim who can afford to do so is required to donate what is roughly a plate of food.
The donations help people celebrate Eid no matter their financial situation, Tareq Alkhudari, a Kuwaiti human rights activist, told USA TODAY.
Since it's difficult for many people to give an actual plate of food, many Muslims may choose to donate to charity organizations, like Islamic Relief, that have estimated the cost of a plate of food, which will feed those in need on their behalf.
How else do they celebrate?
Eid celebrations all across the globe vary, but it's not uncommon for families to get dressed up in their best clothes, have a nice small breakfast together and spend the day visiting relatives and friends.
Muslims will wish each other "Eid Mubarak," or a blessed holiday.
Family members exchange gifts or money, sometimes called "Eidi". It's also not uncommon for community members to give out "eidi" to the young children in their communities.
The holiday is celebrated across the globe and different cultures have their traditions and customs for the joyous occasion, including unique dishes and sweets made just for the celebration.
Contributing: Maria Jimenez Moya
veryGood! (48416)
Related
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- Barbie no party? Union lists Halloween costumes prohibited for striking actors
- Martin Scorsese, out with new film, explains what interested him in Osage murders: This is something more insidious
- Oklahoma attorney general sues to stop US’s first public religious school
- Inside Dream Kardashian's Sporty 8th Birthday Party
- Police on the hunt for man after Maryland judge killed in his driveway
- Jury selection begins for 1st trial in Georgia election interference case
- SAG-AFTRA asks striking actors to avoid certain popular characters as Halloween costumes
- NBA players express concern for ex-player Kyle Singler after social media post
- Watch Bad Bunny Give a Cheeky Nod to Kendall Jenner in Saturday Night Live Promo
Ranking
- Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That’s what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars
- Tennessee Supreme Court delivers partial win for Airbnb in legal disputes with HOAs
- Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS Drops New Shapewear Collection That Looks Just Like Clothes
- Reward offered after body of man missing for 9 years found in freezer of wine bar
- Cruel Intentions' Brooke Lena Johnson Teases the Biggest Differences Between the Show and the 1999 Film
- Popeyes Cajun-style turkey available to preorder for Thanksgiving dinner
- Horoscopes Today, October 20, 2023
- What is November's birthstone? Get to know the gem and its color.
Recommendation
-
Richard Allen found guilty in the murders of two teens in Delphi, Indiana. What now?
-
Former Stanford goalie Katie Meyer may have left clues to final hours on laptop
-
Virginia NAACP sues Youngkin for records behind the denials of felons’ voting rights
-
Cheryl Burke Says She Wasn't Invited to Dancing With the Stars' Tribute to Late Judge Len Goodman
-
Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
-
No criminal charges in Tacoma, Washington, crash that killed 6 Arizonans
-
Rattlesnake bites worker at Cincinnati Zoo; woman hospitalized
-
SAG-AFTRA asks striking actors to avoid certain popular characters as Halloween costumes