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.
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 servanthood. It is a time of giving and sharing.
Common greetings during this holiday are the Arabic greeting “Eid mubarak,” (May your Eid be blessed).
The exact day on which Eid falls depends on the sighting of the new moon -- the hilal, which is only visible just after sunset. Muslims look for the hilal to determine the beginning and end of Islamic months.
Many Muslim countries around the world have hilal-sighting committees that declare the beginning and end of the months. Hilal sighting was recommended by the Prophet Muhammad. The following are some sayings (hadith) of the Prophet on the subject of sighting the new moon: “Do not fast until you see the new moon and do not break the fast until you see it.” “Whenever you see the new moon [of Ramadan], observe the fast. And when you see the new moon of Shawwal, break it. If [due to clouds] the actual position of the moon is concealed from you, you should then observe the fast for 30 days.”
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