The Festivities of Eid
“This day is more than just a day. It is a day for family, being thankful, and seeing a big community.”
Eid Mubarak. The phrase is said everywhere you go on the day of Eid. A day of celebration. You may be wondering what Eid is. Eid is the celebration performed by the Muslim community after 29-30 days of fasting. It ends the month and signifies we have fasted and glorified Allah (our god). This day is more than just a day. It is a day for family, being thankful, and seeing a big community.
On April 10, 2024, Eid Al-Fitr was announced. The moon was seen in Mecca. It symbolizes the growth of our fasting journey and many more years to come. Now let's get into the deeper aspects of Eid itself. Eid is not just a regular day where all the Muslims unite, it's much more. You spend time with family, friends, and other people in the Islamic culture. It's the day of thanking and forgiving your loved ones and giving to those you are in need.
Prayer this year is at the Park. Some people, however, still go to the mosque. Although the time differs depending on the mosque, 9 am and 10 am are the times you can go to pray. You may see families from all over, from different countries all in one place because we share something in common: our religion. Prayer is called and boys are in the front, girls are in the back. Two rakats are made. The sound of the Quran is heard far, far away, as we end this month with a blessing.
After Eid prayers, many people go on to have fun with their day and do many different things. Djenabou and I will tell you how we spent our amazing Eid.
Djenabou:
Waking up at 7am, we got ready to go to Crotona Park. I wore my first outfit, which was an abaya. The beautiful community and the joy of seeing people you haven’t seen in so long just reminds you of what it means to appreciate being Musilm. Hearing the boys in front of the girls reading the Quran was also beautiful. We went home and had our traditional family breakfast, and like some other years we had some outside family join us.
This year I went to Pennsylvania to see family, so we all put on our second outfits and headed out. They had a BBQ and invited people from everywhere. The food was so good. I went out with some of the kids and we played in the backyard. As we were leaving, all the adults gave us our salmafou — money given on Eid. We became 200 dollars richer. On our way back to the Bronx, we all wanted ice cream so we went to Dairy Queen for the first time, and their Blizzards were good. As we went in, dressed in our outfits, we got so many compliments from customers and the workers. It was different and such a beautiful experience. This Eid was another one for the books.
Humu:
Waking up to the start of my rainy day, I put on my red abaya and went with my family to pray at 8 am. We finished prayer at 9 am and made our way back home. Afterward, I greeted my aunts and uncles and wished them a happy Eid Mubarak. Later on, I attended an Eid cookout. I was beautifully dressed with my mocha brown corset bazin. I received so many compliments and love from my Muslim brothers and sisters.
“Eid Mubarak my beautiful sister,” one said.
“May Allah bless you,” another said.
Those compliments were so uplifting. The people on the day of Eid were so caring and nice. We all uplift each other to a high standard and that's what I love about my religion. At the park, I noticed a pattern of colors worn this Eid. Pink. Blue. Purple. Those colors were the ones mostly seen around. This Eid, our Muslim brothers and sisters looked so astounding and charming. Here are a few photos of their outfits:
We decided to interview some of the same people as Jaria did last issue to see how they all wrapped up their Ramadan and spent their day on Eid.
First we interviewed Maty, in which she recapped her day. “Early in the morning I woke up and ate dates because its sunnah (meaning its something our prophet used to do). I wore my first outfit and went to the 9 am prayer. Then I did my traditional run to Dunkin Donuts and went home and helped my mom in the kitchen. I later put on my second outfit and went out to Claremont Park with my friends.”
Then we interviewed Jaria. She said: “I went to pray in the masjid with my family at the 10 am prayer. I went back home and took a 2 hour nap, which felt very refreshing. Me and my family later got ready and we went to take pictures. My dad drove us to Claremont Park, and later, we bought ice cream (we made this a tradition on Eid).”
Our last interviewee was Moralye. He told us: “I spent my Eid waking up to pray with my family. In my brown two piece robe, I made my way back home. Even though it wasn't a regular day I still had to act like it was. So I did laundry which took me time. Then I spent some quality time with my family and ate a big feast. It was a wonderful day.”
As you can see everyone celebrated the same day by doing different things. That's the beauty of Eid, everyone comes out to celebrate and thank god that they were a part of another Eid. Alhamdulillah. Soon, we will get to hear about the second Eid, which will be coming on June 16th or 17th.