Eid ul Fitr – The Festival of Breaking the Fast

Eid al-Fitr (/id l ftr, -tr/; Arabic: , romanized: Eid al-Fir, lit. “Holiday of Breaking the Fast,” IPA: [id al fitr]) is celebrated annually by Muslims around the world. is the first of Islam’s two major festivals, celebrated each year (the other being Eid al-Adha). Muslims around the world commemorate the completion of the month-long fasting period of Ramadan on this religious holiday. It occurs on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, which may or may not correspond with the same day of the Gregorian calendar depending on when the new moon is observed by local religious authorities. The celebration goes by a number of distinct names in other languages and regions. The holiday goes by several names, including Eid and Lesser Eid.

The salat (Islamic prayer) said on Eid al-Fitr consists of two rakats (units) and is typically said in a large open space like a field or hall. Three Takbirs (raising of hands to ears while repeating “Allahu ‘Akbar,” meaning “God is the greatest”) are added to the beginning of the first rakat and three more are added to the end of the second rakat in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Twelve Takbirs, divided into two groups of seven and five, are typical in other Sunni schools. There are six Takbirs at the end of qira’a and before ruku in the first rakat of the Shi’ite prayer, and five in the second. [8] This salat is either far (, required), mustaabb (, extremely advised), or mandb (, preferable), depending on the jurisprudential consensus of the area. During the Eid al-Fitr salat, Muslims partake in a variety of celebrations[9] that revolve around food (hence the holiday’s other common name, “Sweet Eid,” or “Sugar Feast”) of various kinds.

Eid ul Fitr Native names