Eid al-Fitr 2019: Religious significance and How it’s celebrated

When is Eid al-Fitr 2019 and how is it observed?

Over 1 billion Muslims around the world are set to celebrate the auspicious festival of Eid al Fitr this week marking the end of the Holy month of Ramadan that started on Monday, May 6.

The zeal that Christians have for the Christmas holiday, is the same for the Muslims as they long for Eid-al-Fitr.

Image may contain: one or more people

When will Eid-ul-Fitr be celebrated 

The day of Eid-ul-Fitr will most probably be celebrated on Wednesday 5th June depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.

Eid is the first date of the 10th Islamic month, Shawwal.

Fasting from dawn to dusk, the Muslim community seeks forgiveness from the Almighty for their past sins and continues to observe it for one whole month until the sighting of the moon which marks the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, meaning ‘festival of breaking the fast’ is English.

Significance

It is a time when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Holy Quran. Since the festivity starts on the first day of the month of Shawwal, the religion forbids followers from fasting.

Muslims must be in an open field or large gall to receive it. In Kenya, the Chief Kadhi or Imam Khatib performs the prayer in a congregation and adds six Takbirs –  the act of raising both hands to the ears and saying the words “Allahu Akbar.”
The festive day begins by offering Eid prayer at the mosque. The Islamic prayer, known as salat, comprises of two units of prayer known as rakats along with six incarnations.

Muslims praying(Anadolu Agency)

The Eid prayer is followed by the sermon after which Muslims ask for Allah’s forgiveness, mercy, peace and blessings for all living beings across the world.

The prayer is performed in an assembly and is followed by raising of the hands to the ears while saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ which means God is the greatest.

Muslims believe that apart from fasting for a month, they are commanded by Allah to pay Zakat-al-Fitr before offering prayers on the occasion of Eid.

Celebrations
After the prayers, Muslims visit their family members and friends to wish “Eid Mubarak” to each other or host Eid celebrations at their homes or community centers.

Celebrating Eid(whats4eats)

The special Eid-al-Fitr delicacies are cooked at every Muslim household consisting of Biryani, Haleem, Nalli Nihari, Seviyan, Mutton Kaleji and different kinds of kebabs.

The girls and women dress up in shararas or extraordinary salwar suits, pairing it with a headscarf, called a hijab while men and boys opt for a traditional kurta pyjama.

Eid(economist)

Eidi is usually given to the children of the household in the form of a gift or money.

It is a tradition is to keep the spirit of the celebration alive among children.

Eid lasts for three days or even four in some countries.

Happy Eid Al Fitr!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *