What is Eid and how to we celebrate Eid? Last Tuesday, Muslims around the world celebrated Eid Al-Adha.
It is the second major holiday in the Muslim tradition, and it is a very special time in our home.
Eid Al-Adha (The Festival Feast of Sacrifice), is a 4 day celebration. It marks the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. It also celebrates the time when prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) saw himself sacrificing his son Ismail in a dream. He believed this to be an order from Allah (God). Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail were about to obey Allah’s command when Allah replaced Prophet Ismail with a ram. Muslims celebrate this by sacrificing cattle of their own choice and sharing its meat with the needy/poor, friends, and family.
There are many other beautiful rituals that surround this special holiday.
6 Ways We Celebrate Eid in our Home
1. Appearance
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us to bathe on the night or morning of eid, to wear the best clothes we have, to wear perfume/fragrance, and look our best. The kids usually get very excited about their eid outfits. We lay them out the night before so they are ready to be worn first thing in the morning.
2. Prayer
There is a special congregational prayer that is performed on eid. It is usually performed at the local masjid with the local Muslim community. This provides a chance to bring family and friends together to greet and congratulate each other for the occasion.
3. Meals together
After prayer our family usually has a special breakfast. It can be at home or at a restaurant but it is usually in the company of relatives or friends. Here is my favorite Harira Soup recipe!
4. Exchanging gifts
The sacrificed meat is the real gift that is meant to be given on this special day. However, it has also become a tradition in many families to exchange gifts. This is the moment all the kids (and some adults) patiently wait for all day!
5. Visiting friends and family or doing something fun with them
In the past we have attended carnivals or gone to amusement parks to celebrate eid when the timing and weather has cooperated.
6. Decorating cookies
In our home it has become a tradition for us to make sugar cookies that are cutout like sheep, camels, or squares like the Kaabh in Mecca. We use icing to decorate them and we give them as gifts to our loved ones.
How do you celebrate Eid? Share in the comments below!