.Ramadan ends with the feast of Eid el-fitr,the prophet Muhammed used to celebrate it by putting on his best clothes,giving Charity to the poor and going to the mosque to lead the prayer.
What does “eid” mean?
The Arabic word for festival or feast,is “Eid” ,It comes from the word “awd” which meaning “come again”,this describes the days or events which come back every year.
Eid el fitr is also called “el Eid el soghayar” or “small feast”,cause it lasts just for three days.
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HOW THEY CELEBRATED IN THE PAST&HOW WE CELEBRATE IT NOW??
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In old days (specially in Fatimid times 969-1172 A.D.),on the first day of the feast,the caliph left his palace through a special gate in cairo called “bab el-Eid” or “the gate of the feast”,he wore a white cloth embroidered with golden thread and had a white sun-shade,on his head he wore a turban with a rare Jewel,Caliph led a procession to the mosque,where he gave a speech ,after the prayers,the procession returned to the palace,accompanied by acrobats and musicians.
At the End of all the celebrationts,the palace gave a banquet which finished with sweets in the shape of trees & palaces.
The fatimid Caliphs also followed a tradition of visiting the tombs of the ancestors,this custom was found in many ancient cultures,especially in ancient Egypt,Today,many families in Egypt still do this.
How we celebrate it now?
In the 29th day of Ramadan, we wait at night for the Islamic vision to know if the next day will be the first day of “Eid el fitr” or will be the last day of Ramadan to fast,We prepare our new clothes (which we bought specially for this feast) then in the dawn we go to the mosques for “the Eid prayers”,after it we go homes gain to have our breakfast and delicious Kahk,we take from our parents and our relatives when they come to visit us “eidia” which is a money to spend it in buying new toys or go in picnic ,the whole family can goes out to the parks or sails on the Nile in traditional felucca boat.
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What is “kahk”?
EID el-Fitr has always been famous for its special sweet biscuits called “kahk”,these were known as early as the 10th century,when the palace kitchens made special sweet biscuits stuffed with gold coins,In fatimid times the kitchens cooked “Kahk” for distribution to the poor ,Khak is still an important tradition today,which children love .
" HAPPY FEAST" = "EID FITR MUBARAK"
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