"...imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one...'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it--that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." Luke 15:10 The Message
Ahmed said "The last ones to see the new moon are sometimes the first to see the crescent moon." In other words, there is a reluctance to fast so you avoid it or finish ASAP.
For Muslims who fast Ramadan it's been an arduous month of discipline and sheer determination to follow the rules. Some read through the entire Qur'an and abstain from anything that they would consider to contaminate the soul. They are relieved that it's over again although some are saddened by it coming to a close. Once the moon appears again 29 or 30 days later, Muslims prepare for a party, their Eid celebration.
On Eid day Muslims get up in the morning, take a shower/bath and get dressed in new clothes or their best clothes. The first step is to go to the mosque for Eid prayers. If there isn't enough space then a bigger venue is rented to accommodate the crowd. There is no prayer call for the Eid prayers even in Muslim countries. Over there it's common for the mosque crowd to spill over onto the street, blocking the traffic. You just got to wait until they are done.
Following the Eid prayers, they go around congratulating each other and hugging. Now they are free to eat or drink all day. All grudges are to be forgiven. Its a new start of broken relationships or a renewal of friendships. I remember some of the invitations we used to get for Eid celebrations. We knew our hosts wanted to go and visit their Muslim friends so we had just a limited amount of time to chat with them and eat the special foods they had prepared. In Muslim majority countries this is normally a 3 or 4 day holiday.
Parents or other relatives often give their kids gifts during Eid to buy candy or toys. It is common for the religious to make extra donations during the month of Ramadan to assist the poor or underprivileged. Some years ago Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Al Waleed donated a jaw dropping $32 billion "to foster cultural understanding, empower women, and provide vital disaster relief, among other things."
What response should we make when Eid arrives? When practicing Muslims go around to congratulate one another with 'Eid Mubarak' they really do view this as an accomplishment and during Eid prayers pray that God would accept these religious deeds and reward them. It's very much a 'Muslim event'. So Muslim friends don't normally invite us to Eid celebrations. We prefer waiting for a few days and then be in touch with them and ask "How was your Eid?" or "How did you celebrate?" rather than congratulating them. Muslims assimilated into western society don't celebrate like their older relatives. Some don't want to take extra time off and just keep the celebrations simple.
Dear God, now that Ramadan is coming to a close help me to re-engage with my Muslim friends and continue sharing the Good News that can make the whole year blessed. Amen.
