As of right now, there are 6 days left in the month of Ramadan.  Eid is on the 24th of April this year, and for the first time in a very long time, I will be spending it in Singapore, as the circuit breaker won’t be lifted until a week later.

To Malaysians and Singaporeans, Eid al-Fitr is more commonly known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Aidilfitri being the Malays version of romanizing Eid al-Fitr, as the original language of the Malays was Jawi, which was written using the Arabic alphabet that the Arabs brought when doing trading with Malaya at the time.  Only later on when Jawi was romanized was when it became the Malay language.

Eid is celebrated on the 1st of Syawal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, following a 30 day fasting in the month of Ramadan, which is seen as the holiest month for Muslims to earn many good deeds, and to ask forgiveness from God.  Eid is seen as a day of celebration, and so Muslims are forbidden to fast on this day.

You may wonder why Eid changes its date every year, and that is because it follows the Islamic calendar, which is 10 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.  Because of that, it is very possible to have Eid on Christmas, or Chinese New Year or have 2 Eid’s in 1 year.

Eid is usually a national holiday in countries with large Muslim populations.  How I would celebrate it is by visiting different houses consisting of family and friends, greeting them with Eid Mubarak, and eating the food they have to offer.  In Malaysia, people consider Eid to last the whole month of Syawal, which is why it is common to receive invitations for gatherings long after Eid itself has ended.

This year, due to the worldwide pandemic, gatherings and reuniting with family is not entirely possible.  We will just have to make the most of it, and hope next year we can see our family again.