Eid al-Fitr is a celebration in Islam which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid is one of two major celebrations in the muslim calendar, Eid meaning festival and Fitr meaning the breaking of a fast. A member of the Muslim Council of Britain stated “Eid is a time of celebration after accomplishing one of the most important religious duties: fasting during the month of ramadan.” While there are numerous things that everyone will do when celebrating eid, with almost 2 billion muslims across the globe, it shouldn’t come as a surpise that people have various ways of commemorating Eid al-Fitr.

In countries such as Pakistan, preparations for Eid begin during the second to last week of Ramadan. People will clean and decorate their homes, buy new clothes and the night before Eid,named Laylat al-Jaiza, it is common to see paople flocking to markets in order to buy last minute items ready for next days celebration. For women, it is very common to see people applying henna to their hands the night before and wearing colourful glass bangles. For men, eid begins with a prayer in the mosque, often in large open grounds in order to allow the maximum amount of worshippers to pray togther. More often than not, people dedicate this day to close family relatives while other celebrate with all of those in their community. The streets are usually full of people on the days of Eid, with outdoor rides are set in place for children in their neighbourhoods.

However in places such as Indonesia, Eid celebrations begin the night before. Crowds of people cover the streets, following the sounds of drums and firecrackers. In some parts of the country, people also light torches and carry them through the streets. Much like in Pakistan, a lot of people who live away from their families will travel back home, which is a tradition named Mudik or homecoming. It is an Indonesian traditon to cook specific foods on this day. Bamboo cooked rice, known locally as Lamang and Lapis Legit, a thousand-layer cake are just two of the many foods prepared on Eid. It is common to see children gifted with colourful envelopes of money by their elders when they visit them. Most indonesian muslims will choose to wear cultural clothing on Eid, and relatives will also visit the graves of their loved ones during the festival of Eid.

Saudi Arabia is known as the hub of Eid al-Fitr celebrations muslims from every corner of the globe travel to Mecca and Madinah for Umrah (a name given to the pilgrimage to Mecca), and many will choose to stay until Eid before returning home. Locals however, come together in the home of a family member in order to celebrate togther over a meal. Children recieve gifts from their family containing money, toys or sweets. It is also common to see many Muslims choosing to donate to charities and offer gifts to the less privileged during Eid.

In Afghanistan, they have a tradition like no other, people gather together in a tradition known as Tokhm-jangi, it involves painting hard-boiled eggs and competing with them, people will bump eggs together with their opponent and attempt to keep their egg from breaking while trying to break their opponents.

In Muslim minority countries such as the UK, Australia, canada, The US, and the majority of europe, Muslims will all try and celebrate Eid al-Fitr in a similar way. They will attend prayers at their local mosques or islamic centres before greeting the members of the community or visiting family. For many muslims in these countries it can become difficult to celebrate without the demand of other things since Eid is not a public holiday, however many muslims will choose to take the day off. After prayers families will gather together for a meal and spend the day in high spirits while many attempt to follow traditions from back home. Many islamic centres and mosques will also host fairs or events for people who would like to celebreate with their community.

This year, Eid al-Fitr will be held on the 21st of April and while many countries have differences in the ways that they celebrate, community and family are a clear similarity no matter the where you are in the world.