All over the world today, Muslims are celebrating the festival of Eid Al-Fitr, which means “festival to break the fast.” Eid Al-Fitr begins with the sighting of the new moon and thus concluding the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims abstain from food and drinks during the hours of sunrise until sunset as well as using this month to engage in being God conscious, self-reflection and letting go of any bad-habits. Hence, the month is seen as a spiritual, religious and personal development.
Eid is a joyous time celebrated with family and friends. Special morning prayers are offered to accompany the five daily prayers to mark the special occasion. After these prayers, people everywhere greet each other with “Eid Mubarak,” meaning “Blessed Eid”. It is a time for reflection, spiritual renewal and new beginnings. For me, Eid is a day of reaching out to family and friends – to be with each other. It is a time to show forgiveness towards one another and a time to continue to reach out to those in need – as we did during the month of Ramadan. It is a time of unity as individuals from different race, ethnicity and traditions concluded the month of Ramadan and come together to offer prayer. It is a happy momentous occasions shared with others around the world with people celebrating Eid in their own unique ways.
My Eid has always begun with me waking up early in the morning and getting ready for Eid prayers with my family. We would then go out together and grab breakfast. The days would vary from going to family homes or family members coming to our house. I would also meet up with my friends the following day in hopes of celebrating Eid with them.
However, this year with social distancing, Eid will be celebrated very differently. Unable to spend time visiting and embracing loved ones, or going to mosque to worship together we must instead find creative ways to celebrate such as having dinner with relatives over skype and zoom and praying at home.
Nonetheless, I am still looking forward to celebrating Eid and speaking to some of my family members on the phone or via Zoom to see how they are doing as well as having a Netflix party with some of my friends!