L. Miller Minutes

Preface: Regrettably, I went through most of Ramadan and to multiple Eid parties without taking many photographs. As I was writing this, I thought of all the things I should have captured but didn’t. I suppose a brief write up and less photos will suffice for my own memory’s sake.

The conclusion of Ramadan 2024 arrived on April 9 in Saudi Arabia, when astronomers noted the exact period a new moon is sighted (after all, Ramadan is generally marked as new moon to new moon, a period of 29 or 30 days). If it were to happen that thirty days passed since the last new moon and no new moon is able to be identified to mark the conclusion, the astronomers call it – Ramadan is over. I like to imagine the identification of the new moon by the astronomers like American Football referees hunched over a ball examining it if it crossed the goal line for a touchdown – if it has, then the celebrations commence.

To be frank, I’m not entirely sure if the new moon was spotted or if since 30 days had passed the refs just called it, but nonetheless Ramadan concluded and the Eid al-Fitr celebrations commenced.

The word Eid translates to holiday, and al-Fitr in the context of Eid means breaking the fast. Not to be confused with the Arabic word for mushroom (which is fitr), al-fitr in this context of Eid comes from the root fitrah, meaning original disposition, or innate nature – back to normal. One other point of confusion with the Eid holiday is that there are two of them: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The other Eid, Eid al-Adha, is celebrated at the conclusion of Hajj during a different time of the year.

This Eid, Eid al-Fitr, is celebrated as the day after the last day of Ramadan – so Ramadan ended April 9th, then Eid began on April 10th. While there’s no specific uniform celebration method for Eid that everyone follows, what seems most common to me is that in the morning of Eid at approximately 6:00, people will go pray in the mosque for a morning Eid prayer then head to a relative’s home, such as grandparents, for a bit of breakfast. After that, Eid celebrations take many shapes – some have multiple dinners over multiple days, others have one massive blowout. Either way, usually a dinner occurs quite late in the evening between 9:00pm and 11:00pm with men going off to their own section to banter with uncles, cousins, and grandpas, while women go off to their own section to banter with aunts, cousins, and grandmas. For some, it may be the only time during the year where everyone gets together.

What I’ve noticed is that the Saudi Arabian style of Eid al-Fitr dinner occurs in three courses: (1) appetizer of Arabian Coffee (coffee with cardamom) and dates, (2) main course of rice and lamb, and (3) a glass of sweet or unsweet green tea with mint leaf. Some families carry-out their dinners, or even meet up in a restaurant, while others prep the meals themselves. I read online that Eid al-Fitr celebrations vary from country to country, and culture to culture. So I can assume Eid al-Fitr in Marrakesh looks different to Eid in Makkah, and Eid in Makkah looks different from Eid in Kuala Lumpur. Even within Makkah, different cultures do Eid differently.

After a few nights of eating, chatting, and sharing in the jovial mood, Eid concludes, and folks go back to their normal diet and resume the normal pace of life.

Cheers.