Muslims celebrate Eid (holidays) in a unique way, except for a few things. Muslims have only two holidays to celebrate, one of them is directly after Ramadan and is called “Al-Fitr”, and the other is 2 months later, which is called “Al-Adha”, this latter is during pilgrimage time, and it’s 4 days long.
Here we will learn the following:
How to celebrate Eid?
Here are a few examples of how to celebrate Eid festival
1- The Charming Sounds:
Imagine you’re home and started hearing neighbors, together with the nearest worship place, and even your house members; all of them started repeating the same words praising God in one voice;
With such a beautiful sound, in some tremendous spiritual atmosphere, for an entire evening long, or even for a few days. These sounds are called “Takbeer” which means Praising Allah (i.e The Creator of heavens and earth), saying Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar … listen yourself)
2- Bathing & Perfuming:
Cleaning has a big part in Islamic teachings. Cleaning is the first step to worship God, so we perform something called “Ghusl” (i.e taking a shower from head to toe) every once in a while, and on the first day of the holiday.
3- Praying in Open Spaces:
Muslims in each city/neighborhood, gather in a specific open space to pray together, you can count up to thousands of Muslims. Watch, Russia: Drone captures massive Al-Fitr Feast celebrations in Moscow:
Russia: Drone captures massive Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Moscow
When Muslims meet, shaking hands, hugs, and greetings are a big part of the festival celebration. Prophet Muhammad –peace & mercy be upon him- said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my life! You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something which, if you do, you will love one another? Promote greetings amongst yourselves.” [Muslim].
Exchanging some gifts? Yes, when you can.
Then after finishing praying, take a different road so that you meet more people and greet them.
Spend time at home with family, or head out to parks and picnics. Eid is a time of relaxation….
4- Food feasts:
Oh yeah! Holidays are about food, and food is really special during holidays; It is forbidden to fast during holidays.
Whether it is Eid al Fitr which comes after a month of fasting, or during Eid al Adha, where cattle is sacrificed for Allah, to make feasts for the poor and needy as well as family and friends –Eating and thanking Allah’s blessing is an integral part of Eid.
5- Feeding the Poor:
In the first feast “Al-Fitr” it’s an obligation on each adult Muslim to feed the poor on the last day of Ramadan and before we go to pray, this one is about feeding the poor by a specific weight of grains. On the second feast “Al-Adha”, it is also essential for each family to feed the poor, but this time; with meat.
How to celebrate Eid alone?
Eid alone doesn’t have to be lonely! Plan well before it and you might make a memorable day in life
First make sure to have the day off, but don’t stay alone at home…. The brotherhood between Muslims is part of the Islamic beauty – when you have more than a billion brothers, you are not alone!
Go out to Eid prayer, after washing up and dressing well, and join the community. Get to know the people in your area and see their activities for Eid…
We are even asked to go to Masjid and return from two different routes, to meet more people and greet them! The gatherings, greetings, and celebrations are all integral parts of Eid.
To make it work, prepare for it even before Eid.
Either in Ramadan or in the ten days of Thu-Alhijja, go out to the Masjid and get to know your Muslim community;
Make new friends and know what they are planning. Outings with friends on Eid Day are great. Especially the feasts!
Other than that, you can take the time to relax from the stress of the year and reflect on the experience.
How to celebrate eid in Preschool
Kids especially love holidays, and they are great opportunities for connecting with their relatives as well as their faith. The experience of eid prayer in the morning between the masses is an unforgettable experience, especially for kids.
At the beginning of the day or the day before it, tell the children the story behind Eid, and why to celebrate it.
The gatherings and family atmosphere, and also gifts will make the little ones grow up looking forward to the day of Eid every year…..
All of these are great steps to how to celebrate Eid in preschool…….
Simplest advice: make Eid a happy day for your children.
How to celebrate Eid at home
You can celebrate Eid at home by hosting a great feast. Feasts and holidays go hand in hand. The day of Eid is the day of feast.
Host a feast for your community, relatives, close friends, or even just your small family if nothing else seems to work…
Get in touch with your relatives, and greet them for Eid, even if just you are at home and they are far away, and let them know that they are in your heart, and whoever is in the heart isn’t far.
The calm atmosphere at home also helps a lot in contemplating and reflecting on the meanings of the holiday and appreciating it, so make sure to utilize it.
How to celebrate Eid as a non-muslim?
None Muslims can celebrate Eid in many ways:
- Join the gatherings with Muslims and enjoy the company.
- Join the feasts and share the meals: holidays are about feasts, and you can enjoy them regardless of faith.
- Learn the history behind the Eid festival, and the moral of it: this will give more appreciation towards Muslims and create more understanding with them.
Also, all the mentioned forms of celebration above can be tried by a non-Muslim, to try and live in the shoe of a Muslim and see the world from their point of view.
The Essence of Eid Celebration
When Muslims follow Prophet Muhammad’s way of celebration, which is called “Sunnah” (i.e the Prophetic teachings, quotes, and actions), then we’ll be keeping the essence & virtue of the celebration, worthy of mentioning, all the manifestations of feast celebrations in this article have been performed by the Prophet Muhammad and are according to his Sunnah.
So feeding the poor,
Gatherings and greetings,
Eating good food,
Exchanging visits,
Cleaning and perfuming,
Praying together in an open area
all of these are the things that actually make the feat alive, not superficial buying burdens.
Have a –truly- Happy Holiday Everyone!
How to celebrate Eid al adha?
Eid Al Adha is special because it’s correlated with Hajj (Pilgrimage), so for those who can, celebrating Eid by doing the pilgrimage is the optimal way.
For those who can’t, it is still okay to celebrate Eid al adha at home town, with family and community.
Eid al Adha, is special because of the sacrifice for Allah.
Cattle are sacrificed for the sake of Allah. This sacrifice isn’t in vain it is to gain the benefits of the cattle and before that to show Allah our sincerity and gratitude for his blessings
It isn’t obligatory to sacrifice, but those who can and do will have a great reward because they are practicing a very important rite, that Allah started with one of the Major Prophets (Ibrahim), peace be upon him.
The meat is the special theme of Eid al adha festival, and it is often divided into three thirds, a third is given away to the needy, the second third is given to relatives, and the last third can be retained for personal use.
