Added: 10/26/2007 |
Celebration Of Eid Festival For Muslims All Around The WorldThe religion Islam is not only about having restrictions on oneself but it is a religion of Peace and harmony. One of the major occasions celebrated by Muslims is the Eid Festival that comes twice a year. These Eid festivals are celebrated by every Muslim around the World, rich or poor. God has given these two occasions apart from the others for the Muslims to celebrate, enjoy, spend time with their families and friends despite of any discrimination of a country or financial status and thank God for the possessions he has provided us with.
The first Eid, Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated by the Muslims comes right after the month of Ramadan (the ninth month in an Islamic calendar). The Eid is celebrated for three days, on the first day of Shawwal the month after Ramadan. The reason of celebrating this Eid festival is that the Muslims fast all month in Ramadan from dawn till the starting of early night. They fast as God made compulsory for all the Muslims to do so except for the sick, traveler or people of old ages. The spiritual lesson learned from fasting is God’s obedience, to gain God’s blessings, feel the hunger of a poor and desire less of the world. This Eid festival celebrated is a token of reward from God to his believers in this life and of course an after life reward is still waiting for them. In this Eid festival the Muslims go for early prayers followed by a breakfast with something sweet, “Siwayyan” a traditional sweet dairy food or other sweet dairy products. Relatives invite each other on lunches and dinners. Spending time with friends and families regardless of the fact of their financial standards, wearing new clothes and gifting new clothes for people who cannot afford it like house workers, employees or needy relatives.
The second Eid festival celebrated by the Muslims is Eid-ul-Adha celebrated as a commemorate Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son for God which was than replaced by a lamb. The Muslims also following this religious practice sacrifice an animal which can be a sheep, lamb, goat, cow or even a camel and in as much quantity as one pleases. This Eid festival is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic calendar. This is the day after the pilgrims in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, move down from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. The meat of this animal which is sacrificed on the name of God is divided into three parts, one for the house members themselves, the second one for the neighbors and the third one for the poor and needy so that everyone gets a chance to enjoy a healthy, filling meal. This Eid festival also lasts for three days giving the convenience of sacrificing an animal in any of these days.
A huge amount of money is collected during or before these Eids called “Zakaat” in Arabic, teaching us sharing and caring for the deprived ones as well. This Eid festival is not only for the riches but also for those who cannot afford to celebrate it on the fullest. These occasions give a moral lesson to the believers of God how to establish an egalitarian Islamic society on the face of this earth.
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