Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr
In Islam there aren't many holidays to celebrate, because of that Muslims treat each holiday as the only holiday. Islam has two holidays that follow each other. These two holidays are known as Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar celebrated by Muslims around the world. Eid Al-Fitr is the Islamic holiday celebrated the day after Ramadan where Muslims visit their families.
Ramadan is a holiday where Muslims fast for a whole month to thank God for all of the things that he gave them. Muslims don’t just fast during Ramadan, they are restricted from listening to music, cursing, and any sexual activities until sunset. Muslims prepare for Ramadan by lighting up their houses and streets during night with special shaped lights like moons and stars. During Ramadan Muslims practice their religion more often by reading the holy book (Qur'an) to get closer to God. Muslims fast from sunrise till sunset. In Ramadan, Muslims are allowed to eat only in the time frame of sunset till dawn. The meal after sunset is known as Iftar, the meal before dawn is meant to provide strength and energy for Muslims during their day. After breaking their fast, Muslims go to the Mosque (Masjid) to pray to God thanking him for all the food, health, wealth, and everything else God has given them. After the Mosque, they gather with their friends and families.
During Ramadan Muslims celebrate one of the most important holidays in Islam, Laylat Al-Qadr, on which prophet Mohammad (pbuh) received the first revelation of his prophecy. During Laylat Al-Qadr, Muslims gather in Mosques to pray and read the Qur’an. People tend to break their fast at the Masjid during Laylat Al-Qadr; the people in charge of the Masjid provide food for the people that are staying there. Most people decide to stay the in the Masjid all night and read the Qur’an in order to feel closer to God and ask for his forgiveness, others decide leave and read the Qur’an at home. Laylat Al-Qadr is the holiest day in Islam and is usually celebrated on the 27th day of Ramadan. Laylat Al-Qadr is an extremely important night, if you fast this night God will forgive you for all of your sins in the past and upcoming year.
Ramadan isn’t only the month of fasting; it is also the month of caring. During Ramadan, Muslims give money and food away to the poor, according to Sarah A. Tobin, “Ramadan is considered a time for inner reflection, self-control, cultivating one’s religious practice, and giving to the poor” (292-293). Muslims have to give money and food away to the poor, but this does not only occur in Ramadan; each year Muslims give away 2.5% of their wealth to the poor, which is known as Zakat. Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, the five pillars of Islam are five actions that Muslims must do.
After Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr; it’s a holiday in which Muslims visit their friends and families to appreciate the love and support they gave each other. First, Muslims go to the Mosques to pray and thank God for everything he provided for them. After they are done praying, they visit their family and friends with love. Families gather and spend the rest of the day together or just visit each other. In the middle of the day, people start exchanging gifts they got for one another to show them what they mean to each other. If you have a family member outside the country they'll just send each other gifts by mail.
Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated in different ways after the prayer. Each family can celebrate it in any way they want. Some people gather together and some visit each member on their own. My family likes to do it in a traditional way, every Eid morning, the whole family goes to IHOP to eat breakfast as a family, then we gather at one of my aunt’s houses for a couple of hours. When we are gathered, we exchange gifts
