RAMADAN has seen Muslims participate in a month of fasting and religious introspection, and many are now revelling in the celebration of Eid Al Fitr. Muslims can be heard greeting one another with the phrase Eid Mubarak. But what does Eid Mubarak mean?
Eid Al Fitr will have Muslims take to mosques and public spaces in celebration of their long month of Ramadan fasting, which ended yesterday.
Eid is celebrated on a different date every year due to differences between the Gregorian and Islamic calendar, and this year it falls today on June 15.
The Eid tradition of eating food and taking part in fun and games is already off to a flying start in parks and public spaces all around the UK, as Eid in the Park commences.
As is tradition with religious celebration, Muslims will greet each other with a particular phrase to mark the event.
The words ‘Eid Mubarak’ will be the core greeting muslims share on this day.
What does Eid Mubarak mean?
Eid Mubarak translates directly to ‘blessed celebration’ or ‘have a blessed celebration’.
The greeting serves the same purpose as wishing someone a ‘merry Christmas’ when Christmas is celebrated each year, as it can be taken as meaning ‘happy Eid’.
Due to the wide dispersal of Muslims around the globe, Eid Mubarak is written and translated differently in a wide range of languages.
There is also a particular way people are expected to reply to the greeting.
Eid Ul Adha is celebrated differently to Eid Al Fitr, and is known as the ‘festival of sacrifice’
This is because as Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, the boy was replaced by a sheep, which was sacrificed in his place.
Animals are sacrificed before being shared among the poor, friends and relatives, and the family which cooked it.
Men and women are also expected to dress in fine clothes and engage in prayer for Eid Ul Adha.
This year, Eid Ul Adha is celebrated on August 22.
Article sourced from Express.co.uk
Photo Credits- Express.co.uk
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