Ramadan: What is Eid-al-Fitr? – 20 minutes
It is one of the two most solemn dates in the Muslim calendar. Eid-al-Fitr, the feast of breaking the fast that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, will take place on Thursday, according to several Muslim officials.
Ramadan, the fourth pillar of Islam, began on April 13, under special conditions for the second year in a row, due to the health crisis. The date of Eid-al-Fitr was determined during “the night of doubt”, which took place Tuesday at the Mosque in Paris. As with the start date, the end date of Ramadan is indeed defined according to the lunar cycle, which governs the Muslim calendar.
Prayer, at home or at the mosque
In addition to the astronomical calculations, on which the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) is based, various federations of mosques are meeting to scan the horizon in search of the new moon. If it is visible in the sky on the 29th day of the holy month, it stops. Otherwise, it lasts an additional day.
It will therefore end this Wednesday evening, and practicing Muslims will be able to celebrate Aïd-el-Fitr – or Aïd-el-Séghir – tomorrow Thursday. Traditionally, this feast day begins with a prayer, which can be done at home or collectively, at the mosque, as the president of the CFCM, Mohammed Moussaoui recalled in a statement. In this time of health crisis, the Interior Ministry has asked its services to ensure that gatherings in outdoor stadiums are not allowed, as has occasionally been the case in the past.
Family party and zakat
He calls on mosques to organize, on Thursday, “several prayer services”, to “space them out at least 30 minutes to prevent the faithful from crossing” and “to ventilate the rooms after each service”. The Paris Mosque itself will organize two prayers, “to take into account the risk of crowds,” she said.
Eid is also the occasion for celebratory family meals, visits to relatives and exchanges of gifts. The CFCM recommends for this year again to “avoid (…) meals involving people who do not share the same household”, “hugs and hugs”. Muslims are also invited to pay alms for the poor, zakat al-Fitr, set at 7 euros for each member of a household.
France has between five and six million practicing and non-practicing Muslims, according to the latest studies on the subject (Pew Research Center, Montaigne Institute, Insee, Ined), which makes Islam the second religion of the country and the French Muslim community the first Muslim community in Europe.