Eid Al-Fitr

Translating to “festival of breaking the fast” in Arabic, Eid Al-Fitr is an Islamic celebration that begins the day after Ramadan ends. The celebration takes place over 1-3 days and traditions include, but are not limited to: special Eid prayers, gift giving, charity, and large feasts with ethnic delicacies.

Every year, my family makes a dish called sheer khurma, a vermicelli pudding made with milk, sugar, and different types of nuts. Along with sheer khurma, the other treat gracing our dinner thaali (a large silver platter) was a sticky date cake, topped with a warm butterscotch sauce. (Here is the recipe if you’d like to try it out: https://sticky-date-cake).

Another part of Eid is gift-giving. Eidi or eidiyah is a gift given from older relatives to younger children. The most common type of eidi is money given in an envelope. It is also customary for Muslims to donate to charitable causes they believe in.

Eid Al-Fitr is a very special celebration for Muslims, so we like to get dressed up for this holiday. I don’t own much cultural clothing, but my sister and I were very excited to get henna, or mehendi, done on our hands this year.

Take a look at this gallery below for a small look into my family’s Eid celebration.

Gallery • 6 Photos

My little sister is my favorite person to spend holidays with.