Since I always get a ton of questions about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, I thought I'd compile some general information, personal experiences, & ways to celebrate it or to congratulate any Muslims in your life that might be celebrating it. If you have any questions, please ask away!

As night falls over the world this Friday, Muslims around the world will once again look for the "hilal" - the crescent moon that indicates a new lunar cycle has started. If the moon is spotted in a country or community, it indicates Ramadan has ended there, and Eid begins!

Just like the start of Ramadan, the date being dependent on the moon leaves uncertainty over the exact date of the end of Ramadan. It might not end on the same day everywhere around the world. Most current estimates say that Ramadan ends on the 22rd, & Eid will be on Saturday.

If the hilal is established, that means that this will be the final time I have Ramadan Suhoor in 2020, and that tonight will be my final Ramadan Iftar for 2020. If not, Ramadan will continue on Saturday, and Eid will start on Sunday.

In most Muslim-majority countries, Eid al-Fitr is a mandatory two to four day public holiday, meaning most people are free from work. In many non-Muslim majority countries, Eid al-Fitr means Muslim employees, students, and kids will try to take one or two days off.

And gosh, Ramadan went incredibly fast! My productivity did take a hard hit, but COVID did not make me feel alone as much as I feared at the start. It remains absolutely inspiring to me just how many spiritual & communal sacrifices Muslims made this year for our collective health

Friends & loved ones & family supported me by calling in, talking, and sharing their stories. The idea of Animal Crossing Iftar & Suhoor spread around the Muslim community & I received many examples of folks organizing their own. I laughed at Ramadan TikToks & Instagram jokes.

When Ramadan is over, from the next morning until the night after is called Eid al-Fitr, or the "Celebration of Breaking Fast". In terms of how big that is, think of it as the Muslim equivalent of the Holidays to Western societies - down to some only going to the mosque for Eid.

The celebration for Eid al-Fitr varies per culture, but Eid is usually focused around gifts, food, and community. As a kid, I would get new clothes, we would go to the mosque for a Eid prayer in the morning, and the rest of the day we would go somewhere nice - like the cinema.

The mosque would be entirely overflowing, often with people praying as far as outside the building. Hallways were filled with prayer rugs, the prayer hall full, the heat sweltering, even if it was mid-winter. It is a holiday that is both religious and cultural around the world.

After prayer, the mosque would transform to what kinda felt like after a sports victory - a huge, busy, loud celebration. Kids (after quietly sitting politely for prayer for over an hour) would *go off* and start running around & playing, people hugging & laughing & catching up.

Kids & dependents get "Eidiya" -small gifts of money, from parents & family & friends & anyone with more resources- as people visit each other throughout the day in their best new clothes for celebrations & food.

I ate myself sick on sweets and snacks every year.

At myself sick on what? Eid sweets! Do not get me started. All sorts of delicious cookies and treats, kunafa, balah al-sham, besbousa, baklava, qatayef, feteer, kahk - the "halawayaat" of Eid are sugar on sugar on sugar. Look at this: https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/05/05/19-middle-eastern-desserts-to-remember-this-ramadan/

Now imagine that you've just had a disciplined fast for 30-ish days during which you did not eat and drink between dawn and sunset. A glass of water in the sun tastes like the best drink you've ever had. Now imagine having an infinite table of these sweet. Mistakes are made.

Anyway, my dad would go to the bank to get brand new crispy bank notes for Eidiya, and usually if I pooled everything I got together over the course of the day I could buy myself a new game. A lot of people did that, so you'd always end up with a bunch of super crisp notes.

We'd always end up in a shopping mall at some point during Eid, and since we grew up working class in our family, I looked forward to being able to buy that one full-price game every year. The only other opportunity I'd get was my birthday.

What I'm trying to express is that Eid al-Fitr is a big deal, and just like Ramadan, it is severely dampened by COVID-19. Many of us won't get to see our family and friends, eat together, pray together, laugh together. https://gulfnews.com/uae/covid-19-how-to-give-eidiya-in-the-uae-during-a-pandemic-1.1590036992437

But like every year, sometime today you will start seeing the well-wishes for Eid, which will start as soon as Eid is announced - independent of when Eid starts.

If you do, maybe help make this strange Eid a bit more celebratory by wishing those celebrating a Eid Mubarak too!

Just like with Ramadan, it is absolutely acceptable and appreciated to send your well-wishes to a Muslim you know for Eid. The most common one is "Eid Mubarak", which means "Blessed Eid", but you can also just say "Happy Eid" in English.

And in case you want to respond to a Muslim saying Eid Mubarak, "Eid Mubarak to you (and your family)" or "To you as well" are perfectly good responses to someone saying Eid Mubarak. The intent matters more than the words - just focus your words on Eid, not the end of Ramadan.

That'll be all for now. If you got this far, thank you for being interested in my religion and culture. If you have questions left, feel free to ask!

For now, I look forward to finding out when Eid is - we'll know later today, and I'll make sure to tweet about it :)