The month of Ramadan is full of celebration and festivity as Muslims immerse themselves in reading the Quran and Duas. Muslims fast the whole month, as it’s said to teach the true meaning of perseverance and tolerance, while being empathetic towards the poor and needy.
“Ramadan is a sacred month for Muslims,” says Mereme Martini, a parent of an 8th grader. “It is very much about self improvement and social awareness, even more so than it is about fasting. Fasting gives participating individuals a taste of what it’s like to struggle with poverty. It helps to create awareness. The month of Ramadan is about giving to the community and helping others. It's a month of deep self reflection and proactive action to improve the self and benefit one's community.”
On the evening of Wednesday, May 12th, Muslim members of our MAELS community like 6th grader Maaria Elcharfa, gathered with their families to celebrate the end of Ramadan, immersing themselves in a celebration called Eid al-Fitr (say EED al fitter).
“Eid al-Fitr is also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast,” said 6th grade Maaria Elcharfa. “It is a three-day religious holiday that is celebrated at the end of Ramadan.”
Like Maaria, 8th-grader Yasmine Oucherif described Eid al-Fitr as “a celebration full of happiness, prayer, and togetherness.”
Nora Ujkashi added, “Eid is a time I get to celebrate the accomplishments I made during Ramadan.”
Traditionally, Eid al-FItr begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. While some modern day families follow the date on the Lunar Calendar, some still observe the moon on the 29th day of month.
“The moon decides when Eid is,” says 7th grader Sohani Rab. “When the moon comes out after the month of Ramadan that is when Eid is.”
During some years, if the clouds block the view of the moon or the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets, the holiday is celebrated the following day.
In many Muslim countries, the three-day festival is a national holiday. That means that people do not attend school or go to work and instead, participate in the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. In New York City, Muslim students and their families are now able to have time off from school to also participate in Eid al-Fitr festivities without the pressure of responsibilities from school.
“This year is the first year I had school off on Eid,” says 7th grader Laila Ahmed. “I am super excited!”
When asked about his favorite thing about Eid celebrations, sixth grader Irfan Khan said “Eidi”. “When we were celebrating Eid in Pakistan, my dad gave me a lot of Eidi,” says Irfan. “I gave some of that money to other kids. They were very happy and that gave me immense joy!”
Eidi is a gift that is given to children by elder relatives and family friends a part of the Muslim celebration. The most common type of Eidi is a gift of money.
“We celebrate by going to houses of family members,” says sixth grader Mir Ali. “We all ate so many different types of food and had so much fun playing with each other. Later in the day, we all got $200 cash and we were all so happy!”
Every single person wants to look their best for the festivities. Some get new clothes specially made for the occasion and some have Henna applied on their hands. Henna is also one of the traditions most looked out for during the Islamic holiday. Each year, girls and women have their palms and back of the hand decorated with the plant-based dye in beautiful patterns.
“My favorite part of Eid is the nice clothes and the Henna,” says sixth grader Laiba Imran. “I got my Henna done last night. Today when I woke up my henna was dark and beautiful!”
“I got my henna done this one year and I went to sleep before it was fully dry. I woke up to have it all printed on my face!” added Laiba.
While there are lots of things that everyone will do at Eid, with approximately 2 billion Muslims across the globe, it’s not surprising that people can have some different ways of celebrating this holy festival.
“My favorite part of Eid is spending time with my family and enjoying my mother's delicious baklava dessert. She makes it from scratch and is the best I've tasted,” says Ms. Martini.
“We go to Jackson Heights with our friends and hangout, put on henna, shop and have a lot of fun,” says 7th grade Sohani Rab. “The next day we cook traditional yummy food and go to relatives' houses.”
“Eid is observed by starting off with a morning eid prayer. Then we go home, get dressed in our best clothes, and then eat a meal with your family,” says Yasmine.
The festival revolves around the theme of togetherness and happiness. In essence, Muslims celebrate the blessings bestowed upon them by Allah. To all of our Muslim brothers and sisters at MAELS, Eid Murabak!