Muslims worldwide are marking Eid today – here’s everything to know about the celebration

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated on 10 April this year

Eid al-Fitr is being celebrated by Muslims across the world on Wednesday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The day is filled with spending time with family, sharing unique dishes, giving gifts and charity and praying with your community.

Many Muslims will dress up in new clothes for the occasion, and some countries will decorate their streets in honour of the celebrations.

After a month of fasting, the day gives Muslims the chance to thank Allah for the strength and support they received through Ramadan.

Here’s what to know about the Islamic global tradition:

When is Eid al-Fitr?

The start of the celebration is calculated when a new crescent moon is sighted in the sky. The announcement that the festival has started is usually carried out by local mosques.

As Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, concluded on 9 April, Eid al-Fitr falls on 10 April 2024.

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated according to the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar calendar that calculates dates based on lunar phases, meaning the day of Eid al-Fitr can jump around year by year.

The religious celebration, otherwise known as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”, is one of two Eid festivals on the Islamic calendar, celebrated as Ramadan draws to a close.

Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is observed for a month in which Muslims will abstain from food or drink between dawn and dusk.

The month allows those who celebrate to pray and spiritually self-reflect while they fast.

How is Eid al-Fitr celebrated?

Eid al Fitr is important to many Muslim families, who will come together and spend time with their loved ones.

Some areas, more typically Muslim-majority nations, will try and get the day off work or school and travel to visit family members, even if that means travelling far and wide to be together.

In Indonesia, many people will set about on an exodus to their hometowns or wherever their loved ones reside, in what is known locally as the homecoming tradition of “mudik”.

A lot of Eid celebrations will begin with special prayers at a mosque in the morning with their community, with many Muslims dressing in new or their best garments.

Prayers in Indonesia (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Other traditions include saying a short prayer called a “takbeer”. The festival also sees many people donating to charity as part of the celebrations.

A charity called Zakat al-Fitr is also given on this day, with many considering it mandatory for those who can give, an obligation to ensure all people can participate in the festival.

What else is done to commemorate the day?

The celebration is a way of showing gratitude, appreciating all that Allah has given, and recognising Ramadam, along with all the charitable sacrifices Muslims made during the month.

Special dishes are typically prepared and indulged in to commemorate the day, and Muslims join together in prayer to acknowledge the end of the fasting month.

One of the festival’s key commemorations is celebrating life, the good that it can bring and all the blessings they received while participating in Ramadan.

Prayers in Kenya (AP)

People acknowledge this by coming together as friends, family, or as a community and sharing sweet treats and gifts, with children often receiving money or small gifts from their elders.

Many Muslims will also thank Allah for the strength they were given throughout the Holy fasting month.

Practices, traditions and variations of the festival vary from country to country, making the celebrations, which can last up to three days, extra special and diverse.

Women will also honour Eid by adorning themselves with henna on their hands, as has been the tradition for many centuries.

What can I do if I am not Muslim?

If you are not Muslim it does not mean that you are not welcome to celebrate.

If you have Muslim friends, family, or community members, wish them an “Eid Mubarak”, which means “Blessed Eid” or “Happy Eid”.

What is Eid al-Adha?

The other Eid festival, Eid al-Adha, which means “festival of the sacrifice”, coincides with the end of Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia later in the year.

This second Eid commemorates the prophet Ibramin’s willingness to sacrifice his son to demonstrate his dedication to God.

Many Muslims will sacrifice a goat or a sheep, and the animal is shared equally between friends, family and those who may be in need.