Know the Muslim Festivals
This year, the month of April brings important religious holidays in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As Refugee Congress commemorates these holidays, we highlight the powerful meanings they have for some of our members. Read other posts in our April religious holiday series, including Drocella Mugorewera: Celebrating Easter and Connecting with Other Religious Traditions and Julia Ostropolsky: The Meaning of Passover.
Abdul Hamid: Know the Muslim Festivals
By Abdul Hamid, Refugee Congress Delegate for Wisconsin
I would like share how Muslims celebrate their festivals. Every year, we Muslims around the world observe two most important Islamic celebrations called Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Eid is an Arabic word which has the meaning of “happiness” and “celebration.” Traditionally, Eid starts with prayers, and then a short sermon follows. The prayers are often offered in mosques, in large halls, or in a large area of ground, depending on the number of attendees. After the prayers, Muslims wish everyone around them a Happy Eid. Then, they visit their relatives and friends to enjoy each other and have a feast. These festivals are colored by a sense of generosity and gratitude.
Eid al-Fitr is the celebration concluding Ramadan, while Eid al-Adha is the celebration concluding the Hajj. Both are special days for all Muslims around the globe and have their own specific time of the year, tradition, and different kinds of activities.
Eid al-Fitr begins on the 1st day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, right after the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.
The aims of Ramadan are worship, working hard, self-refinement, and nobility of character. This means to refrain from eating, drinking, and mating from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is either 29 or 30 days. It begins and ends by seeing the new moon. People who are fasting go to mosques to perform nightly prayers called "Taraweeh" in Arabic. Again, they pray the late-night prayers called “Tahajjud.” They prepare dining tables at community centers or at local mosques and break their fast together.
Since the Islamic Hijri is a lunar calendar, these holidays usually move every year in the Gregorian calendar. The Hijri calendar is named for the Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Makkah to Medina to escape persecution. Years are given as A.H. (anno hegirae) as opposed to A.D. (anno domini). The Hijri year is usually ten days shorter than the Gregorian year.
Eid al-Fitr is also known as “Feast of Breaking the Fast,” which starts by performing the special Eid Salah, “The Muslims Way of Prayer” in the morning. At Eid al-Fitr people dress in new or their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits to friends and family.
Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance in the month of Ramadan. Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor, giving alms, paying Zakat (charity to the poor), and making contributions to mosques. After offering Salah and hearing the Eid sermon, people hug and greet each other with warmth. People start their day with sweet food such as dates and express happiness by passing gifts, by participating in or inviting families, friends, relatives, neighbors, and others to lunch or dinner gatherings.
On the other hand, Eid al-Adha marks the end of the annual Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Makkah. The Eid al-Adha begins on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijja, which is the last month of the Islamic calendar. Performing Hajj once in a lifetime is an obligation for rich people. It is of the five pillars of Islam.
Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” commemorates the prophet Abraham's willingness to obey Allah by sacrificing his son Ishmael. According to the Quran, just before Abraham sacrificed his son, Allah replaced Ishmael with a ram, thus sparing his life.
Eid al-Adha lasts for three days. Muslims all over the world celebrate, not simply those undertaking the Hajj, which for most Muslims is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. The festival is celebrated by sacrificing a lamb or other animal and distributing the meat to relatives, friends, and the poor. The sacrifice symbolizes obedience to Allah and its distribution to others is an expression of generosity.
Like they do for Eid al-Fitr, Muslims wear new clothes or their best available clothes for this holiday and start the Eid prayer in the morning. Next, they stay to hear a short sermon and then they hug each other with warm regards. Then, they go to sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep, cow, goat, buffalo, or camel. They donate one-third of the sacrificed meat to friends and neighbors. Also, they contribute one-third or more of the sacrificed meat to the poor and needy people. After all of that, they enjoy gathering with relatives, friends and family to cook their traditional food with fresh meat for lunch or dinner.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are unique holidays for more than 1.9 billion Muslims across the world. Both of them are remarkably different in their activities, tradition, and specific time of year. Being the festival of joy and celebration, Eid brings about a lot of happiness in everyone’s lives. It serves as a reward to people who fast the whole month and enjoy Eid like it’s their feast. In other words, it is a reward for all the good deeds that people have done during the month of Ramadan and sacrifice in the month of Zulhijjah. Obviously, it spreads joy and brotherhood.
The opinions of Refugee Congress Members expressed in articles authored by them on the Refugee Congress Blog are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire organization.
