عيد الفطر Eid al-Fitr (ʻĪd al-Fiṭr) Feast of Breaking the Fast |
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Eid al-Fitr meal, Tajikistan
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Official name |
Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īd al-Fiṭr |
Observed by | Muslims |
Type | Islamic |
Significance | Marks the end of Ramadan fasting |
Celebrations | Family and other social gatherings, traditional sweet dishes, feasting, using perfume, wearing new clothes, shopping and gift-giving etc. |
Observances | Eid prayers, charity-giving |
Date | 1 Shawwal |
2016 date | 6 July (Umm al-Qura) |
2017 date | 25 June |
2018 date | 15 June |
Related to | Ramadan, Eid al-Adha |
Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ʻĪd al-Fiṭr, IPA: [ʕiːd al fitˤr], "festival of breaking of the fast") is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.
Eid al-Fitr has a particular Salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two Rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation (Jama’at) and has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu Akbar", literally "God is great"), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before Ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard فرض (obligatory), Mustahabb مستحب (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob مندوب (preferable).