Celebrating Eid with our work experience student Alishaba

With Eid underway for millions of people around the world, Alishaba, one of our current work experience students, explains more about the celebration and how she marks it with her loved ones.

What is Eid?

Eid is a celebration that is marked by Muslims worldwide. There are two Eid celebrations during the year. The first is Eid al Fitr, and the second is Eid al Adah.

Eid al Fitr is also known as the festival of breaking fast and occurs after Ramadan when the moon is sighted, hence why there is no fixed date. This year Eid might fall on Friday 21^st April, depending on the sighting of the moon and will be celebrated over several days.

Eid al Fitr is celebrated as a reward for fasting the whole month. Muslims fast during this period because it’s part of the five pillars of Islam; we fast from just before dawn till sunset. Eid is a time not just for celebrating but also for self-reflection and being grateful for what you have.

Celebrating Eid across the world

As Eid is celebrated worldwide, countries celebrate it in many different ways. For example, in Turkey, people use the term “Sugar Feast”, where they enjoy delicious treats like baklava and Turkish delight. In Saudi Arabia, people celebrate Eid by enjoying traditional meals and having a big feast.

Across the world, those celebrating will first go to Eid prayer in the morning. When this is finished, everyone congratulates each other with “Eid Mubarak”. After this, Muslims wear their new or clean clothes and get together as a family. We also donate to charity to remind us to remain humble and share the joy of the festival with others.

How I celebrate Eid

I love celebrating Eid as it unites people. Growing up, my siblings and I were always excited when the moon was sighted, and having our mum apply our henna and eat lots before we close our fast.

We would iron our clothes and lay out all the preparations for the next day and celebrate the joy of Eid with neighbours, friends, and family. We start our celebrations by preparing for Eid prayer, where we head to the mosque and pray.

When our prayer has finished, we donate to charity, return home, wear our nicest clothes, and greet our loved ones with Eid Mubarak. At the end of the day, our family and cousins gather to give gifts to the children and eat lots of traditional Pakistani sweets like mithai and jalebi.

After enjoying these, we sit down to a delicious feast with traditional Pakistani food like biryani, chicken roasts, kebabs and samosa and once finished, we go out as a family and share our experiences of Ramadan.

What’s happening in Birmingham?

As a thriving multicultural city, Birmingham is hosting several events to celebrate Eid. On either 21st April or 22nd April, celebrations will take place in Small Heath Park, where there’ll be plenty of food stalls and fairground rides for all to enjoy.

During Ramadan, another event takes place after the last prayer of the day on Coventry Road in Small Heath. This once again brings everyone together. It is also an excellent way of opening the fast as there are many food stalls.