Eid is like Christmas for Muslims - but we celebrate it twice a year! That was the best way I could describe Eid to my friends when I was growing up. With the advent of interfaith iftars, the evening meal to close the fast, being held across London from the Natural History Museum to the Tower of London, Eid al-Fitr which celebrates the end of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, has ensured the first Eid has now become a permanent fixture in the national calendar. One that is celebrated annually through the Mayor of London’s “Eid in the Square” festival.
The second Eid, Eid al-Adha, for most people has always been the lesser known of the two Eids. The preceding ten days are sacred for Muslims. Many of whom fasted, and some British Muslims performed the Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca. This year, Eid al-Adha finally became mainstream when over a hundred thousand people in an open field at the Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury, in chorus with the legend Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens gave an Eid blessing, saying, “peace be with you.”
Interestingly the prophetic tradition encourages Muslims to perform Eid prayers in an open field and not in their usual place of worship, their local Mosque. As the Eids move each year, as the date is based on the lunar rather Gregorian calendar, this has meant Eid can be celebrated outdoors in the summer sun, for at least the next few years, despite the unpredictable British weather.
Eid is no longer a celebration for Muslims alone, and this was clear by the number of “Eid in the Park” events held across London. This has never been more important for British Muslim communities, enabling first-time parents like me to take their young children to these events, which include a place to pray, fairground rides and food stalls.
The experiences in early childhood are often the root cause of today’s hardest social challenges and the need for young Muslims to identify with their faith in a positive and inclusive way provides happy memories on which to build confident, integrated British Muslims.
For many young Muslim parents, seeing local families from all faiths and none joining them at these events makes the occasion even more enriching, as we are celebrating as one community, the same way Muslim families visit the lights on Regent Street at Christmas.Eid al-Adha not only celebrates the end of the Hajj, but rather focuses on the sacrifices made by Prophet Abraham. This is symbolised by those who can afford to give a donation of meat, called Qurbani, to their family and people in need. This Eid al-Adha, Islamic Relief, a UK Muslim charity partnered with North Paddington Foodbank to provide Qurbani meat to over two hundred of the most vulnerable households in Westminster.
The importance of sacrifice and supporting your vulnerable neighbours is a key part of Eid al-Adha and another example, how for many British Muslims, charity starts at home.
