What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday?
What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday?
FILE - Youths light firecrackers and flares as they celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Islam follows a lunar calendar and so Ramadan and Eid cycle through the seasons. In 2024, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on or around April 10; the exact date may vary among countries and Muslim communities. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - Muslims try to catch balloons distributed after Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims hug and greet each other after offering Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
FILE - Shiites attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Saturday, April 22, 2023, to mark the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Imam Souleimane Konaté, left, leads worshippers in Eid al-Fitr prayer in New York on Sunday, June 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., File)
FILE - A woman and child peer out their car window as bubbles are blown into their car by volunteers from the Muslim Community Center as part of an Eid al-Fitr ceremony celebrating the end of Ramadan and a month of fasting in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, Sunday, May 24, 2020, in New York. Because of the need for social distancing due to coronavirus, the celebration was a drive-by celebration in which sweets and toys were handed out. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
FILE - Men and children attend a prayer service at Masjid Al-Farooq for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Friday, June 15, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - Muslims gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
FILE - People wait for the buses that will take them to their hometowns at Kalideres bus terminal, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, a week before the Eid-al Fitr holiday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - Shiites observe the crescent moon to determine the start of the tenth Islamic month of Shawwal, which marks the end of a month-long fasting of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr festival in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Muslims girls display their hands painted with traditional henna to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - People buy sweets at a shop in preparation for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, May 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - Muslims offer sweets to police officers on duty after offering prayers on Eid al-Fitr in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Muslims are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)
FILE - Women and children gather before Eid al-Fitr prayers, Friday, April 21, 2023, at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - People ride a motorbike as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr feast, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Youths light firecrackers and flares as they celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Islam follows a lunar calendar and so Ramadan and Eid cycle through the seasons. In 2024, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on or around April 10; the exact date may vary among countries and Muslim communities. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - Youths light firecrackers and flares as they celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Islam follows a lunar calendar and so Ramadan and Eid cycle through the seasons. In 2024, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on or around April 10; the exact date may vary among countries and Muslim communities. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - Muslims try to catch balloons distributed after Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims try to catch balloons distributed after Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Muslims hug and greet each other after offering Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
FILE - Muslims hug and greet each other after offering Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
FILE - Shiites attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Saturday, April 22, 2023, to mark the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Shiites attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Saturday, April 22, 2023, to mark the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Imam Souleimane Konaté, left, leads worshippers in Eid al-Fitr prayer in New York on Sunday, June 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., File)
FILE - Imam Souleimane Konaté, left, leads worshippers in Eid al-Fitr prayer in New York on Sunday, June 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., File)
FILE - A woman and child peer out their car window as bubbles are blown into their car by volunteers from the Muslim Community Center as part of an Eid al-Fitr ceremony celebrating the end of Ramadan and a month of fasting in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, Sunday, May 24, 2020, in New York. Because of the need for social distancing due to coronavirus, the celebration was a drive-by celebration in which sweets and toys were handed out. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
FILE - A woman and child peer out their car window as bubbles are blown into their car by volunteers from the Muslim Community Center as part of an Eid al-Fitr ceremony celebrating the end of Ramadan and a month of fasting in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, Sunday, May 24, 2020, in New York. Because of the need for social distancing due to coronavirus, the celebration was a drive-by celebration in which sweets and toys were handed out. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
FILE - Men and children attend a prayer service at Masjid Al-Farooq for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Friday, June 15, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - Men and children attend a prayer service at Masjid Al-Farooq for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Friday, June 15, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - Muslims gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
FILE - Muslims gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
FILE - People wait for the buses that will take them to their hometowns at Kalideres bus terminal, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, a week before the Eid-al Fitr holiday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - People wait for the buses that will take them to their hometowns at Kalideres bus terminal, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, a week before the Eid-al Fitr holiday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
FILE - Shiites observe the crescent moon to determine the start of the tenth Islamic month of Shawwal, which marks the end of a month-long fasting of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr festival in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Shiites observe the crescent moon to determine the start of the tenth Islamic month of Shawwal, which marks the end of a month-long fasting of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr festival in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
FILE - Muslims girls display their hands painted with traditional henna to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - Muslims girls display their hands painted with traditional henna to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - People buy sweets at a shop in preparation for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, May 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - People buy sweets at a shop in preparation for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, May 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad, File)
FILE - Muslims offer sweets to police officers on duty after offering prayers on Eid al-Fitr in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Muslims are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)
FILE - Muslims offer sweets to police officers on duty after offering prayers on Eid al-Fitr in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Muslims are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)
FILE - Women and children gather before Eid al-Fitr prayers, Friday, April 21, 2023, at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - Women and children gather before Eid al-Fitr prayers, Friday, April 21, 2023, at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - People ride a motorbike as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr feast, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - People ride a motorbike as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr feast, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
CAIRO (AP) — Muslims around the world will soon bid farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is marked with congregational prayers and festivities that typically include family visits, gatherings and new clothes.
This year, Eid will come just after the Israel-Hamas war crosses the somber milestone of having stretched on for half a year. During Ramadan, as Muslims around the world savored the traditions of their diverse communities, advocacy, prayers and charity for Palestinians in Gaza were high on the minds of many.
What’s Eid al-Fitr?
It’s an Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the month when devout Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is a time of increased worship, charity, and good deeds.
Eid al-Fitr means the feast, or festival, of breaking the fast.
When is Eid al Fitr?
Islam follows a lunar calendar and so Ramadan and Eid cycle through the seasons. This year, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on or around April 10; the exact date may vary among countries and Muslim communities.
What are some common Eid greetings?
Eid Mubarak, or Blessed Eid, and Happy Eid.
What are some of the traditions and customs associated with Eid al-Fitr?
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, many people embark on an exodus to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with loved ones. This year, an estimated 193.6 million travelers are expected to crisscross the vast archipelago for Eid in a homecoming tradition known locally as “mudik.”
In the past two years of Eid celebrations, Indonesians crammed into trains, ferries, buses and onto motorcycles as they poured out of major cities amid severe traffic congestion to return to their villages to celebrate the holiday with families. Flights were overbooked and anxious relatives, weighed down with boxes of gifts, formed long lines at bus and train stations for the journeys.
Before the holiday, popular markets teem with shoppers buying clothes, shoes, cookies and sweets.
In Malaysia, Muslims also have a homecoming tradition for Eid. The first day usually begins with a morning prayer in the mosque, seeking forgiveness from family and friends, and visiting loved ones’ graves.
There’s an “open house” spirit that sees friends and families trading visits to celebrate Eid and enjoy traditional delicacies such as ketupat, rice cooked in a palm leaf pouch, and rendang, a meat dish stewed in spices and braised in coconut milk.
Older Muslims give money in green packets to children and guests who visit their homes.
In Egypt, families partake in Eid prayers amid a festive atmosphere. Many visit relatives, friends or neighbors and some travel to vacation spots. Children, usually wearing new Eid outfits, receive traditional cash gifts known as “eidiya.”
Making or buying Eid cookies dusted with powdered sugar is another fixture of marking the holiday in the country.
In the United States, where Muslims make up an ethnically and racially diverse minority, many come together for Eid prayers and for festivals featuring fun activities for children and families. These often include such things as face painting and balloon twisting.
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Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.