“Eid – ul – Fitr”

Eid-ul-Fitr often abbreviated to Eid is a three-day Muslim ritual that marks the end of Ramadan,
the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”.

The first day of Eid falls on the first day of the month Shawwal. It is a very special day for all the
Muslims. It is an occasion of happiness.

On this day people commonly wake up earlier to carry out special tasks related to Eid. They put
on new clothes and have a light breakfast of home-made vermicelli.
People send this sweet dish to their relatives and neighbours. Then they go to attend the special
Eid prayer in Eid Gah.

This is one of the biggest assemblies of the Muslims in the year.

After the prayers, Muslims visits their relatives, friends and acquaintances and exchange
greetings. Eid gifts are frequently given to children and immediate relatives.

Adult relatives give children small sums of money as Eidi. Eid day is full of festivities. It brings
delight to all the Muslims of the world.

Many days before Eid, special arrangements are made to decorate the houses.

People clean their houses to welcome the guests on this happy occasion. Buntings and balloons
give a new look to the houses. The children seem very happy on this day.

There is a lot of fun and amusement everywhere. Streets, parks and gardens are full of people
and children.

Some enjoy watching special Eid shows on different TV channels. Some indulge in fireworks.

Outwardly, Eid seems a special day for feasts, meetings and rejoicing but Islam does not
establish any ritual without special purpose.

Eid-ul-Fitr is the occasion of sharing the happiness and blessings with others. This day is meant
to take care of the poor and the needy. For this reason giving alms is frequent in the month of
Ramadan.

In our society, most of the people are particularly considerate on the happy moment of Eid. They
pay heed to the necessities of the needy and the poor.
Thus the spirit of this day is witnessed in the cultural manifestation everywhere. The underlying
message is that living for oneself is living on animal scale.

Human beings are the crown of creation because they are expected to share their capacities with
the rest of mankind to establish a happier community.