What is Eid al-Fitr? How Muslims Celebrate at the End of Ramadan
Muslims all over the world start the first day of Shawwal, the tenth lunar month, by offering zakat (alms) and a pre-dawn salat (prayer). And with that, the sunup to sundown, month-long Ramadan fast ends and the Eid al-Fitr celebration begins.
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @HallmarkStores.
The meaning of Eid al-Fitr
“The holiday is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a time where we are in worship and we give to charity. It is a time for renewal of the spirit, of my faith, of my connection to Allah—the Arabic word for God—and to the community.” —Mahnaz Shabbir, diversity speaker and consultant, Shabbir Advisors
Eid al-Fitr (pronounced eed uhl-FEE-truh) means “the Festival (or Feast) of Breaking the Fast.” Celebrated for a day or three (it varies around the world), Eid al-Fitr is a time for giving thanks to Allah, expressing joy for blessings, letting go of ill will and bad feelings, and welcoming others with open arms.
Muslims greet each other with “Eid Mubarak,” which translates to “Blessed Festival,” “Blessed Feast” or “Blessed Celebration” (less literally, it’s a wish for a happy Eid).
There are different ways to respond when someone says “Eid Mubarak,” to you depending on your part of the world:
- “Khair Mubarak” is a wish for goodwill, and is the response used most often.
- “Jazak Allah Khair” means “May Allah reward you with goodness.”
- “Taqaballahu minna wa minkum” means “May Allah accept it from you and us.” “It” can mean good deeds, worship, fasting—essentially, the spiritual commitment, good deeds and sacrifices made during Ramadan.
- You can also respond simply with “Eid Mubarak to you.”
“Another Eid tradition is to receive and send Eid cards to family that don’t live close. I send my cards roughly 20 days before Eid so the recipients have at least a week or more to proudly display all the cards they have received from family, friends and loved ones.” —Sam Lodhi, Hallmark manager
Find cards for Eid al-Fitr on Hallmark.com
Ways Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr
There are nearly two billion people in the world who follow Islam and the teachings of its holy book, the Qu’ran. And there are as many ways to observe Eid al-Fitr as there are countries where it’s celebrated.
“I love Eid prayers because it’s like a mini–United Nations of people wearing various ethnic clothing and speaking various languages—and then we come together to do the Eid prayer in Arabic.” —Mahnaz Shabbir
Rituals include:
- Paying Zakat al-Fitr, donations given by families who have enough money so those without can afford to celebrate Eid al-Fitr
- Offering Eid prayers as a community, in open spaces
- Cleaning up and dressing in your best or new clothing
- Visiting loved ones to eat, celebrate and exchange gifts
- Enjoying sweets—Eid al-Fitr is sometimes called “Sugar Fest”
- Sending Eid al-Fitr cards to loved ones
“On Eid day we wear new clothes, new shoes and new socks. In the morning we all shower and get ready to go to mosque to offer Eid prayers. After that I remember our friends and family invite us to come and have food with them. I remember sometimes after prayer going to four or five different homes to celebrate Eid with them. By the time we got home it was time to go to bed.” —Seema Ahmed, proud Naano (grandmother)
“On the day of Eid, we wake up in the morning, put on new clothes we bought specially for Eid and get ready for the Eid prayers. The prayers last about 45 minutes, at the end of which we greet our relatives and friends by hugging each other three times from side to side, shaking their hands and greeting them with ‘Eid Mubarak.’ When we get home from Eid prayers, I always make seven-layer parathas (basically a made-from-scratch fried tortilla) and fried eggs with black tea for all my kids for breakfast (a Lodhi family favorite). This is something my mom did ever since we were kids. I usually have multiple sweets like creamy vermicellis, rice pudding, cookies and hot tea ready for our guests who come to our home. For my family in Pakistan—especially my elders—I call and greet them personally and receive their blessings.” —Sam Lodhi
What are the two Eid festivals?
Islamic traditions include two holy celebrations called Eid:
- Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, takes place after the Hajj pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, beginning on the 10th day of the 12th lunar month, Dhu al-Hijjah, and lasting four days. Eid al-Adha commemorates Allah’s test of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham): Ibrahim was prepared to sacrifice his firstborn son as commanded, but at the last minute, Allah told him to sacrifice an animal instead.
- Eid al-Fitr, the Feast of Breaking the Fast, takes place after the Ramadan fast beginning on the first day of the tenth lunar month, Shawwal, and lasting three days. Ramadan commemorates the revelation of the Qu’ran by Allah—speaking through the angel Gabriel—to the Prophet Mohammed.
“It really is such a happy feeling to accomplish the fasting in Ramadan and pray that we are still alive to be there next year and be in community.” —Mahnaz Shabbir
Shop Eid al-Fitr
See allYou may also like
See more-
Birthday Free birthday coloring pages to add more fun to the celebration
The best birthdays are the ones filled with lots of little treats and fun activities, from sunup to sundown. If you’r...
-
Family Tips and ideas for preserving and displaying family recipes
Family recipes are a special kind of priceless heirloom—the kind that transport us back to our favorite times with ou...
-
Mother's Day Meaningful, personal Mother's Day gift ideas for every mom you know
It can be tough to come up with gift ideas for Mom. Most of us want to give her something meaningful: a gift that sho...
-
Father's Day Celebrating two dads on Father's Day: Tips and ideas inspired by real families
As a dad, I appreciate Father’s Day. Even though my family has never made a really big deal out of it, it’s always so...
-
Thank You 100+ teacher appreciation gift ideas to say “thanks for all you do!”
In 6th grade, my homeroom teacher made us illustrated, laminated bookmarks—each one a custom collage of our interests...
-
Christmas Dr. Finkelstein’s Lab Tree Topper
Fans of Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, we have a frightfully fun new addition for your tree! Kee...
-
Graduation Graduation gift ideas for every level of education
My little brother starts kindergarten this year, and I’m already bracing myself for the tears—mine, not his. I know t...
-
Lifestyle Free printable When Calls the Heart Bingo card to celebrate the Season 11 premiere!
Who's ready for a Heartie Party? You know we are! So much so, we created a bingo card to add a whole extra layer of f...
-
Christmas Star Wars: A New Hope™️ Collection
You don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to experience an epic adventure! Each stocking holder performs sce...
-
Christmas Wreath of Memories Keepsake Ornament
Get a special behind-the-scenes look at how Keepsake Artists Gregor Benedetti and Rob Stanphill collaborated on the d...
-
Christmas Howliday Helpers First in Series Keepsake Ornament
Do you want the inside scoop on an im-paws-ibly cute new series? We’ll throw you a bone—Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker...
-
Christmas Keepsake Ornaments ShowToppers Mini Collection
We’re so excited to introduce our new ShowToppers collection. Featuring three unique designs, each tree topper is int...
-
Christmas Keepsake Ornaments North Pole Village Table Decoration
Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker is here with a special delivery of Christmas magic! Hear how she brought this bustling ...
-
Christmas Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™️ Storytellers Collection
Ready for a little magic? Featuring light, sound and real dialogue from the movie, Harry, Dobby, Ron, Hermione and th...
-
Christmas Disney The Haunted Mansion Collection
Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion! Featuring interactive light, music and dialogue from the classic Di...
-
Christmas The Grinch Wreath
This amazing motion-activated wreath may not steal Christmas, but it’ll definitely steal the show! Complete with ligh...
-
Christmas Twelve Days of Christmas First in Series Keepsake Ornament
Watch as Keepsake Artist Gregor Benedetti and Senior Design Technician R.J. Stebbins collaborate on the first ornamen...
-
Christmas Christmas Is… First in Series Keepsake Ornament
Keepsake Artist Tim Bishop didn’t have to go too far to find inspiration for his first Keepsake Ornament series. Duri...
-
Christmas Cup of Cozy First in Series Keepsake Ornament
Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what the new Cup of Cozy series is made of! Hear how Keepsake Artist Iman...
-
Arts, Crafts & DIY 9 DIY memory box ideas to keep special days close at heart
Every incredible trip, amazing party and huge milestone comes with its own unique memories and little objects worth h...