What You Need to Know About Eid

The holy month of Ramadan is well upon us, and now, another important event in the Islamic calendar approaches yet again – Eid. Recognized as a public holiday in the Islamic calendar, Eid comes at the end of Ramadan and marks the beginning of Shawwal. For practicing Muslims, Eid represents a time of feasting and celebration.

As the dates of holidays in the Islamic calendar change every year based on lunar movements, Muslims all over the world await news as to when the exact dates of the holiday will be observed. To know more about the Eid celebrations this 2018, continue to read below:

By Shefali11011 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Eid 2018: What You Need to Know

 

What is Eid?

As introduced above, Eid or Eid al-Fitr signals the end of Ramadan, which started last May 16 and will end on June 14.

Following a whole month of religious prayer and fasting, Eid is an important Islamic holiday as it is a time for Muslims all over the world to go without fasting, meaning it’s a time of lavish revelry and feasting.

It also officially marks the beginning of the month of Shawwal, which is observed with a great feast to officially close the period of fasting.

Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday in many Muslim countries such as Kuwait. Oftentimes, you would hear Muslims greet each other with “Eid Mubarak” which roughly translates to “blessed celebration”, and as a sign of unity and friendship, non-Muslims living in Muslim countries should also greet other people in public with warm reception.

During Eid, many people often go out to buy beautiful clothing, and join public festivals and celebrations.

Most Muslims would wake up early in the day to visit Mosques and say their prayers.

Also, people would usually exchange gifts and cards among friends and family.

Aside from Eid al-Fitr, there is another Eid celebration in the Islamic calendar known as Eid al-Adha.

Approximately a month following Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha will officially start the night of August 21, 2018. This date falls in the middle of the twelfth and last month in the Islamic calendar.

The holiday is based on the event when Allah revealed himself to Ibrahim through a dream and requested him to offer up Ishmael, his son, as a sacrifice, and a way to prove of his faith. It is similar to the story of Abraham and Isaac in Christian religion.

During Eid al-Adha, practicing Muslims sacrifice animals as part of their tradition with some variations depending in the laws and practices in their country of residence.

The holiday concludes on August 25, 2018.

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