BRIEF: Eid al-Fitr arrives towards the end of May
The Saturday of May 23 marks the beginning of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr. The holiday officially begins the evening of May 23 and concludes the evening of May 24. The holiday commemorates the end of Ramadan and its name translates literally to “feast” or “festival.”
The holiday is one that has been celebrated since the early days of Islam and is the day those of Islamic faith break the fast to practice during the holy month of Ramadan.
While the celebration of the holiday varies country to country, general traditions include those celebrating greeting each other saying “Eid Mubarak,” which means “Blessed Eid.” During this time, friends and family gather and enjoy eating much food, wearing new clothes and exchanging gifts. Special morning prayers are recited for the occasion and it is strongly encouraged to be charitable and kind during such times.
Eid al-Fitr is one of two Islamic holidays called Eid, the other, Eid al-Adha takes place July 30, 2020 through August 3, 2020. This Eid is the longer of the two and is meant to commemorate the popular Biblical and Quranic story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac.
UHCL’s Muslim Student Association secretary Elona Iljazi provided insight into what Eid means for her and other members of the association.
“Eid means happiness to me and the other members of MSA,” Iljazi said. “Eid teaches you to laugh and love. There are two major Eids, or holidays, that are celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Each of these have many names, but they are most commonly called Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking Fast, and Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice. Both of these holidays include prayer and charity towards the poor, but they are also days of celebration with family and friends.”
The 2019-20 COVID-19 pandemic is expected to impact the level of celebration for this year’s Eid. Celebrations are usually very community based, with those in entire Islamic and Desi communities gathering together to celebrate. This year’s celebrations are expected to be more family based, with celebrations being encouraged to happen inside one’s home rather than large gatherings.
It has already been documented that the celebration of Ramadan has also been affected by COVID-19, with traditions such as charity meals not being as widely distributed.
“I planned on having a big iftar potluck for the MSA team but due to COVID19 we are unable to do so.” Iljazi said.
As states continue to slowly reopen businesses, many people in Muslim communities have declared safety to be a top priority, and are nevertheless looking forward to still celebrating Eid with the necessary precautions.
“COVID will definitely change the dynamic of togetherness,” Iljazi said. “As families do close in together, they go to visit their close friends and pray to celebrate in unison with others. Because of social distancing and the pandemic, the fulfillment of achieving the month of fasting will be confined to each household. The togetherness of others will definitely be missed.”
