Eid ul-Fitr in Jeddah

In a day or two, depending on the sighting of the moon, Ramadan will be over, and Eid celebrations will be in full swing. Eid ul-Fitr, (Festival of the Fast) marks the end of the month of fasting for Muslims. For most of us in Jeddah this will mean three days of celebrations with family. For expats it may be quite different as they will be spending time away from family back home.

The most popular greeting heard will be ‘Kul ‘am wa antum bikhair’ meaning ‘May every year find you in good health”. The easier greeting regardless of one’s native language is ‘Eid Mubarak’ or ‘Blessed Eid’.

Rice can be bought for distribution to the needy.

In case you are wondering about the stalls selling bags of rice popping up all over Jeddah, these can be bought and distributed to the needy as ‘fitrah’, or the charitable amount which is obligatory for Muslims to give to the needy before Eid ul-fitr so that they may also participate in the festivities of Eid. Fitrah is also known as ‘fitrana’ or ‘zakat ul-fitr’. This article gives details on the Zakat ul-fitr and its calculations.

Whether resident or expat, teen or adult, we would love to know how YOU plan to celebrate Eid this year. Leave a comment and let us know.