50 Fun Facts About Eid Al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of which name?

The month-long dawn-to-dusk fast (sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam.

On the first day of which Islamic month does Eid al-Fitr fall?

It is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, and fasting is forbidden on its first day.

What is the other main festival of Islam besides Eid al-Fitr?

According to a hadith, Muhammad told the people of Medina that God had fixed these two days of festivity.

What must be sighted for Eid al-Fitr to begin?

If clouds hide it after the 29th day of Ramadan, the festival simply moves to the following day.

How many rakats does the Eid prayer consist of?

It has no call to prayer, is performed in congregation and includes extra takbirs, and the sermon comes afterwards.

How does the Eid sermon differ from the Friday sermon?

Some imams consider listening to the Eid sermon optional.

What obligatory charity must be paid to the poor before the Eid prayer?

It is a fixed amount of staple food, or its cash value, for every member of the household regardless of income.

Zakat al-Fitr is traditionally measured as one sa' of food per person; what is a sa'?

The tradition cites one sa' of dried dates or barley, and the head of the household may pay for everyone.

What greeting do Muslims exchange on Eid, meaning "Blessed Eid"?

In Nigeria the day is called Small Sallah and people say "Barka Da Sallah" in Hausa instead.

What phrase, meaning "God is the greatest", is recited repeatedly on the way to the Eid prayer?

The raising of hands to the ears while saying it is called a takbir, and the Eid prayer features extra ones.

Because so many sweets are eaten, Eid al-Fitr has what nickname?

Turkey calls it Şeker Bayramı, and Germany borrowed that as Zuckerfest.

For how many days is Eid al-Fitr celebrated, depending on the country?

Tunisia, Senegal and Sierra Leone all celebrate for three days; Ivory Coast anywhere from two to ten.

Is fasting permitted on the day of Eid al-Fitr?

Some Muslims resume optional fasting for six days of Shawwal starting the day after Eid.

What is the night before Eid called in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan?

Children gather to spot the Shawwal crescent, girls decorate their hands with mehndi and markets stay open late.

What is Eidi?

In Pakistan people queue for fresh currency notes from the State Bank to hand out crisp Eidi.

Sheer khurma, a traditional South Asian Eid dessert, is made from what?

In Bangladesh the vermicelli dish shemai is served with roti or paratha on the morning of Eid.

What is the popular name for Eid al-Fitr in Indonesia?

It is a national holiday, and Muslims later hold a mass gathering called Halal bi-Halal to seek mutual forgiveness.

What is mudik, the great Indonesian tradition in the days before Eid?

Millions leave Greater Jakarta, jamming the Trans-Java toll road and overwhelming stations and airports.

Ketupat, served across Indonesia and Malaysia at Eid, is rice cooked inside what?

Lemang, by contrast, is glutinous rice cooked in bamboo, another Hari Raya favourite in Malaysia.

In Malaysia and Brunei, Eid is known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri; what does Hari Raya mean?

The homecoming to one's village is called balik kampung, and hosts hold open houses that welcome non-Muslim neighbours too.

What does the Malay Eid greeting "maaf zahir dan batin" mean?

Forgiveness is often requested without naming any specific error, to avoid starting an argument.

What are the notoriously loud meriam buluh fired in Malaysia during Eid?

The bamboo tubes are filled with water and calcium carbide or heated kerosene, then lit with a match.

In Brunei, what does a young woman's decorated centrepiece cake, the kepala meja, invite a man to do?

The "head of the table" is also where dishes unique to Brunei, such as kelupis with prawn sambal, are served.

In Turkey, what do children collect as they go door to door wishing neighbours a happy Bayram?

New clothes bought for the day are called bayramlık, and mosques and minarets are lit up for the nights.

What is Eid al-Fitr most commonly called in Germany?

The name is a direct translation of the Turkish Şeker Bayramı, reflecting Germany's Turkish community.

By what name is Eid al-Fitr known in Senegal and much of West Africa?

It is a three-day national holiday, and families normally have new clothes made for it.

In Nigeria, Eid al-Fitr is popularly known as what?

The Hausa greeting Barka Da Sallah means "Greetings on Sallah", and celebrations can last three days.

Where in Cape Town do hundreds of Muslims gather on the last evening of the fast for the moon sighting?

The sunset prayer is performed together before the official sighting result is announced.

Which Egyptian shortbread biscuit, eaten at Eid, is believed to date back to ancient Egypt?

Date-filled kahk are thought to be the origin of the ma'amoul eaten across the Levant.

What is Eid al-Fitr called in Morocco?

The name means the small Eid; couscous and lamb or beef brochettes are typical festival dinners.

What is the popular Sudanese Eid snack whose name comes from the French for petit four?

It is baked alongside sugar-dusted ka'ak and, unusually, popcorn to serve to visiting well-wishers.

Which Bangladeshi Eidgah holds the record for hosting the largest Eid congregation?

Gor-E-Shahid in Dinajpur is considered the largest Eidgah by area, and Dhanmondi Shahi is Dhaka's oldest surviving Mughal building.

In rural Bangladesh, what do unmarried girls traditionally draw on Eid pithas as a symbol of marriage?

Children greet elders by touching their feet, a custom called Salam, and receive Salami in return.

Sri Lankan Muslims mark Eid with which spiced coconut-and-jaggery pudding?

Falooda, samosas, gulab jamun and oil cake are also on the table.

Which two Chinese regions grant a public holiday for Eid al-Fitr to all residents regardless of religion?

Ten officially recognised ethnic groups celebrate Eid in China, and mutton and beef are distributed to households.

Where do Muslims in Taiwan, mostly Indonesian workers, typically gather for the Eid prayer?

The prayer draws heavy local media coverage every year.

What is Eid al-Fitr called in Russia, where it is a public holiday in Tatarstan and Chechnya?

In Dagestan, eggs with bright stickers are a traditional Eid dish, and Tatars bake pancakes.

In Kyrgyzstan, Eid festivals known as Orozo Ait often feature which sport?

People sing Jaramazan tunes and are rewarded with bread, candy or cash.

What are baursaki, handed out by Kazakh Muslims during Oraza Ait?

Mutton, soup, tea and kymyz, fermented horse milk, are also popular during the holiday.

In Afghanistan, what is the pre-Eid house-cleaning tradition called in Dari?

Afghans start preparing up to ten days early, buying jalebi, shor-nakhod and cake wa kolcha in the bazaars.

What do people create and carry through the streets in Sierra Leone's Eid procession?

The country celebrates over three days, the first marking the end of Ramadan.

What is the Philippine noise barrage of revving motorcycles and horns at the moon sighting called?

The Grand Mufti of Bangsamoro has discouraged the practice as un-Islamic and dangerous.

In which year did the Philippines make Eid al-Fitr a national public holiday for everyone?

A 1977 presidential decree had first made it a legal holiday for Muslim Filipinos only.

Which Spanish autonomous city officially celebrates Eid al-Fitr as a holiday?

Neighbouring Ceuta observes only Eid al-Adha, reserving its second holiday for its patron, Our Lady of Africa.

Since which year have Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha been official state holidays in Ukraine?

The festival is known there as Ramazan-bayram.

How many days are in a year of the lunar Islamic calendar, which is why Eid moves through the seasons?

Twelve lunar months make the year about eleven days shorter than the solar year.

According to hadith, in which city were the two Eid festivals instituted after Muhammad's migration?

The companion Anas ibn Malik narrated that Muhammad found people there celebrating two days of recreation and replaced them with the two Eids.

Which English football club held an Eid prayer on its pitch in 2022?

Eid is not a public holiday in the UK, though many schools and businesses grant a day's leave.

New York City public schools have closed for Eid since which year?

The city also suspends its alternate-side parking rules on the day.

Whose calligraphy appears on every Eid postage stamp issued by the US Postal Service since 2001?

The stamps honour both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha and are now issued as Forever Stamps.