Eid Mubark
Prabha Gupta March 31,2025
Happiness is an eternal emotion. The root of humanity is happiness. To be happy, to make others happy, to give happiness. Festivals, celebrations, donations, greetings, help, creation, all revolve around this. Eid is a festival of collective identity of such happiness. Eid means to hug, donate, share happiness, get out of differences, get out of differences, get out of separation, get out of the identity of being different, get out of complaints, get out of bad memories of the past and hug. Give blessings, give respect, give sweetness.
Eid and happiness are exactly the same. It is not without reason that people associate happiness with Eid. For example, you must have heard people say that if only the son passes with good marks, then our Eid will be celebrated. Poets have said – if we get our friend, then our Eid will be celebrated. Let’s see one such sher-
It is the moon. Eid and Karvachauth are also decided by its movement. Then why the hassle. Eid is not only a day of prayer and gratitude, but it is also an occasion to share brotherhood, love and happiness. So be happy today, keep others happy too. Give Eidi to the children. Do not differentiate between the deserving and the undeserving.
Eid is a socialist festival. Rich and poor all pray together in the mosque. Class character vanishes. The meaning of ‘Eid’ is happiness. And the meaning of ‘Fitr’ is charitable gift. In Islam, giving charity i.e. Fitra is the most important aspect of Eid. Before Eid prayers, it is necessary for every rich Muslim to give Fitra. This Fitra is given to the poor so that they can also celebrate their Eid and join in the happiness.
Eid, Roza, Iftar, Topi, Seviyan and Eidi, this was the image of Eid in our childhood. Whoever we met, we hugged and wished them Eid Mubarak. Eid ul Fitr is celebrated in the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, Shawwal. This festival is associated with the month of Ramzan. Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This month has the same importance in Islam as Sawan has in our country. It is believed that in this month the first verse of the holy book of Islam, the Quran, was revealed to Prophet Mohammad. Eid is an Arabic word. In Arabic, Eid means a day of joy, happiness, celebration, pleasure and happiness. My first concept of Eid was formed from Munshi Premchand’s story ‘Idgah’. Munshi ji was a resident of Lamahi, eight kilometers north of my house in Banaras. The garden of Anwar Bhai, who lived in my neighborhood, was the courtyard of my childhood, where I developed my understanding of Eid, Namaz and Roza.
The month of Ramzan is determined by the movement of the moon. Due to geographical reasons, the moon is visible in Bangladesh a day after the Arab countries. In Arab countries, the moon is visible before Bangladesh. However, Malaysia and Indonesia, which are ahead of Bangladesh in time, celebrate Eid like the Arab world. Some Muslim countries in Africa also do the same. According to Muslim tradition, if the moon is visible in any Muslim country, it will apply to all Muslims. Everyone agrees that the lunar month of the Hijri year begins as soon as the moon is visible with naked eyes. This is also called Chandaraat.
This is why many Islamic religious leaders even today believe in seeing the moon with naked eyes in their respective countries. No telescope or modern equipment is used. As soon as the moon is visible, Eid is announced the next day.
In my childhood, there was no kitchen in my life. I used to hug people enthusiastically on Eid day. I used to eat Seviyan. There used to be a lot of fun at Anwar Bhai’s house. Even when we were sad, we would hug anyone and make them our own. What could be a bigger day than this when we would open our hearts and find a way to embrace everyone. The purpose was to take Eidi from Anwar Bhai and buy a toy for Premchand’s Hamid. Because then Hamid had bought a tong for his grandmother with the money from his Eidi. There were no tongs in grandmother’s kitchen. Her hands would burn on the pan. That’s why Hamid preferred grandmother’s tongs over his toy. Grandmother’s weeping eyes were filled with joy on seeing the tongs brought from the market on Eid. This powerful story of child psychology was by Munshi Premchand. It had an impact on our minds. That’s why we felt like buying a toy for every Hamid. Perhaps it is to eradicate this inequality that there is a system of Fitra and Zakat in Islam.
In Islam, giving Fitra is mandatory and giving Zakat is obligatory. Zakat is given by a Muslim who has gold, silver, cash and business as per the rules of Islam. It is mandatory to give 2.5 percent of it annually as Zakat to the poor and needy people. Zakat can be given to your poor relatives, neighbors, poor and helpless. Most Muslims pay Zakat before Eid. This is also a human aspect of Eid.
Prophet Mohammad, who spread the message of Islam all over the world, was born in the city of Mecca in Arabia in 570 AD. Prophet Mohammad started preaching Islam in 610 AD, but at that time fasts were not observed during the month of Ramzan. Prophet Mohammad and his followers left Mecca and came to Medina in 622 AD. And in the same year, he preached to celebrate Eid ul Fitr (Eid) and Eid ul Azha (Bakrid) festivals. Muslims believe that two years after coming to Medina, in 624 AD, Prophet Mohammad was ordered by God to observe fasts for the entire month of Ramzan.
According to Islamic history, in this month, Muslims fought the first war, which took place in the city of Badr in the Medina province of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, that war is also called Jang-e-Badr. There are two major reasons for celebrating Eid. The first is to win the Jang-e-Badr. This war took place on 2 Hijri 17 Ramadan. This was the first war of Islam. In this war, there were 313 unarmed Muslims on one side. On the other side, there was an army of more than a thousand enemies armed with swords and other weapons.
In this war, Muslims fought very bravely under the leadership of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad and won. Sweets were distributed to celebrate this victory and people hugged each other and congratulated each other. It is said that Eid is celebrated in this happiness.
Hugs are given on Eid. Embracing and hugging is our eternal tradition. It has nothing to do with Islam. Any human being can express love, happiness and emotions in this simple way. Psychologically, hugging releases oxytocin, often called the “love hormone”, which helps reduce stress, lower blood pressure and promote feelings of relaxation and happiness. A loving hug melts away deep-rooted grievances. A study has shown that people who receive more hugs, fall sick less often. A hug has a positive effect. A hug is a great way to stay happy as well as keep diseases at bay. Joining hands, bowing down and saluting has its own shastra. It also has an eternal tradition. It dissolves the ego and the self. There are many nervous systems in your palms – which has been discovered by medical science today. In fact, your hands speak more than your tongue and voice. There is a whole science of mudras in yoga. The moment you put your hands together, your dualities, your likes and dislikes, your cravings and hatred, all get leveled. Namaste is not just a cultural aspect. There is a science behind it. If you are doing your sadhana, every time you bring your palms together, a sound of energy is produced.
While doing namaskar, Ida and Pingala nerves meet and the head bows down in reverence. This also leads to spiritual development of the body. Baba Ramdev makes people clap during his yoga practice. When a person joins both hands together, there are some points in his palms which get pressured. These points are directly related to various parts of the body like eyes, nose, ears, heart etc. In such a situation, doing namaskar with folded hands puts pressure on these points and this leads to the flow of positive energy in the body and the person remains protected from many types of diseases. Scientifically it is called acupressure, it keeps the blood circulation right, the trend of which has increased a lot in recent time.
Eid is due to the movement of the moon. The moon is seen at different times in different countries. Eid is celebrated accordingly. A few years ago, an international gathering was held in Istanbul. Islamic scholars from 50 countries including Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE, Morocco gathered there. This conference is known as the International Hijri Calendar Union Congress. In this conference, the differences between different Muslims around the world regarding the Hijri calendar were discussed. Most people said that all the Muslims of the world should follow one calendar and if this happens, then Eid and fasting can be started on the same day in the entire Muslim world. But no concrete result came out. The same old story.
This is diversity. Anyway, there are different ways of celebrating Eid in different countries of the world. In Turkey, the celebration of Eid is known as Seker Bayrami, which means “Chinese feast”. It lasts for three days. On this day, Turkish people, after bathing and wearing new clothes, visit their elders to seek their blessings and ask for forgiveness. Children receive sweets and money from their elders. During Eid, guests are always greeted with eau de cologne, which is a regular custom to welcome guests in Turkey. Eid celebrations in Turkey are a combination of Islamic traditions and Anatolian culture. Families visit the graves of their loved ones, have meals with their neighbors and share sweets such as “baklava” and “lokum”. In Iraq and Saudi Arabia, eating dates is a very important part of both Ramadan and Eid, as dates are the only fruits grown there at that time. In Yemen, Bint al Sahn is a favorite Yemeni dessert. In English it is sometimes called honey cake.
Manti are a popular thing to eat on Eid. They are usually filled with some sort of spicy meat. In Bangladesh, korma is traditionally eaten. Ramadan in Iceland is like nowhere else in the world, and Eid celebrations are just as unique. The phenomenon of the midnight sun in the country means that during Ramadan, many Muslims fast for up to 22 hours a day. They have the option of breaking their fast based on the sunrise and sunset times from the nearest country or Saudi Arabia. However many continue to fast when the sun rises above the Icelandic horizon. The long fasting hours mean that when Eid al-Fitr arrives, the celebrations are magical. Joyful revelry takes place in one of Reykjavik’s few mosques and guests bring food inspired by Indonesian, Egyptian and Eritrean cuisine to celebrate this holy day. Unique Eid traditions around the world couldn’t get any better.
In Indonesia, Eid traditions revolve around family and loved ones. Worshippers leave the big cities and return to their family homes to celebrate Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr) with their families. As the most important holiday in the Indonesian calendar, families go out. Families visit the graves of loved ones.
Eid is a festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, prayer and reflection. American Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr by sharing meals with family and friends during the day.
Eid in the US is one of the most awaited festivals in the Islamic calendar. Eid-ul-Fitr in the US is a time of joy, gratitude and spiritual renewal.
Eid in our country has its own charm. Nearly 12 types of seviyan, dahi ki phulkis and dahi vadas, pakodas, pheni, halwa, fruits, a variety of sherbets, khurchan sweets and a variety of regional sweets. Then there is the series of kebabs, biryanis, koftas and kormas. Special dishes like musallam and zarda and countless Awadhi, Mughalia, Dakhni dishes make Eid in India even more delicious. Nowadays the trend of foreign cuisine has also increased. The sale of baklava, Arabic food and Iranian sweets and their distribution during festivals further enhances this diversity.
In fact, Eid in India has an Indian character. And this character is the character of Indian diversity. It is the diversity that makes India a banyan tree. The people who celebrate Eid in India have also been nourished and nurtured by this diversity. When someone passing through the streets in Haryana says Eid ki Ram Ram Tau, there is no communal or religious reason for it. It is actually a greeting nourished in our diversity which wants to reach out while staying comfortable. Including others in our festivals, participating in the festivals of others is the fabric of Indian society which becomes a sheet of diverse colors and gives us a different identity. Beyond politics and speeches, the society lives in its own way. It has the basic element of mutual cooperation, understanding and participation. It is the harmony of diversity that strengthens our sociality, economy and humanity.
Translated version
