IslamNewcastle

Eid’s a ‘surreal and euphoric’ time

Eid’s a ‘surreal and euphoric’ time

By Yacine Helali BBC Tyne contributor

Yacine Helali, who lives in the West End of Newcastle, explains how he feels as the Islamic month of Ramadhan comes to an end. This is it.

The sighting of the full moon initiated the fasting month of Ramadhan in August and 30 days later, by the full moon again, this intense social and spiritual experience has come to an end with Eid al-Fitr. Eid day is just that: a surreal and euphoric time which marks the end of our favourite month.

After 30 days of refraining from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset, Eid day is a time of celebration.

Yacine says Eid is particularly a time for children Muslims will want to relax with family and friends and ponder about Ramadhan and how detoxing fasting is. If Ramadhan was a spiritual feast then Eid day is a kaleidoscope of tastes and a treat-yourself occasion. Mothers and sisters cook religiously for the whole family. Cakes, sweets and once-in-a-year specialities are shared among relatives, friends and sometimes even neighbours. But kids are the biggest winners on Eid day. Not only it is a restriction-free time for them to eat sweets but, in certain cultures – Arab in particular – they will raise a small fortune by going around parents, aunties and uncles. Divine rewards No doubt Eid is meant to be a conducive time for expressing one’s love and gratitude.

Hajj is the next thing Yacine is looking towards After all, Eid is the culmination of a collective effort to purify oneself and, for this one day at least, Muslims are inclined to hug strongly, even a complete stranger, and wish for the best of divine promises and rewards. As for the enemy, if any, then Muslims will prefer silence to resentment. Eid has come and now we look back and think of how much we have tried to please Allah, the One God, and how much we may have developed ourselves by fasting for His sake. For many the occasion is one of happiness at ending the fast.

A few, though, will prefer to carry on fasting for six days and follow by doing this a Prophetic tradition. This, they say, is their own way of keeping the sweet taste of Ramadhan in their mouths. With Eid, most Muslims will start slowly going back to their worldly routine and patiently wait for Hajj time to arrive. In about two months the time will come to go and perform the beautiful, physical and Ramadhan-like pilgrimage to the centre of the Islamic faith, Mecca, in the desert of Saudi Arabia.

Yacine is a French Algerian filmmaker living in the West of End Newcastle. He is currently working on grassroots projects with the Islamic Diversity Centre in Newcastle.

September 24, 2009 - Posted by Abu-Tayeb Khairdeen | ramadhan | eid, hajj, ramadhan