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.”
