Coming with the new moon, the festival marks the end of 'Ramadan' - a month when Muslims fast

throughout the day and eat only at night Prayers, feasts and family get- together are the major highlights of
the celebrations. It was during this month that the holy Koran was revealed. Eid means recurring happiness
or festivity. Eid is celebrated in India with much enthusiasm and fervor and Muslims from all strata of life can
be seen adorned in beautiful new clothes, visiting the mosques to attend Salatul Eid (Eid prayers). Greetings
of "Eid-Mubarak" or "a blessed Eid" are exchanged.

A very important aspect of eid is the charity, which all the Muslims are expected to extend to the needy.
Earlier, this was in the form of gifts in kind but now cash is given to the needy. The first Eid of the year is
known as "Eid Al Fitr". Al Fitr literally means breaking of fast. Thus Eid Al Fitr is celebrated on the first day of
Shawaal, the tenth month in the Muslim calendar, to mark the end of a month long fast during the month of
Ramadan. As the third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among
these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with
the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to
one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to Allah. Ramadan is also a time of
concentrated worship, reading of the Quran, purifying one's behavior, giving charity and doing virtuous
deeds.

The secondary objective of fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing compassion for the
less fortunate, and learn to be thankful and appreciative for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also
advantageous to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits.

Eid Al Fitr is a day of joy and thanksgiving. On this day, Muslims show their joy for the health, strength
and opportunities of life, which Allah has given them to fulfill their obligations of fasting and other good
deeds during the month of Ramadan. It is considered unholy to fast on this day. It is also a day of forgetting
old grudges and ill feelings towards other fellow men. The second important Eid celebration is called "Eid Al-
Adha".

Although only the pilgrims in Makkah can participate in the Hajj fully, all the other Muslims in the world join
with them by celebrating Eid Al-Adha, or "Celebration of Sacrifice." On the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last
month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims around the world celebrate this feast of commitment, obedience and
self-sacrifice to Allah. They wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the morning.
This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone socializes. Next, people visit each other's homes
and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts. Children receive gifts and sweets
on this happy occasion. In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah, the Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer
domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The meat is distributed for consumption
to family, friends, and to the poor and needy. Prayers are offered in mosques and Idgahs and elaborate
festivities are held.
Also known as Id-ul-Fitr, this is celebrated by Muslims immediately after the holy month of
Ramadan, in October-November. Some Muslims believe that the day marks the revelation of the
Quran, their holy book.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day, not even drinking water. The fast is broken only after
sundown. On Id, everyone bathes in the morning, wears new clothes, applies perfume, and eats
dates or some other sweet before going to the mosque for Id prayers. Men wear white clothes
symbolising purity and austerity. Women prepare sweets like Sevian (vermicelli cooked in
sweetened milk) and Shir Khurma (a special dish with milk and dates). Family elders give Idi,
presents of money, to youngsters. Everyone is greeted with Id Mubarak (Happy Id). People go for
Idmilans (meeting friends and relatives).
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Home » NEWS » Third annual survey on Ramadan traditions and practices reveals interesting results
For the third year in a row, Yahoo! Maktoob Research has undergone a recent region-wide survey on
attitudes and perceptions of people during Ramadan. The survey questions tackle sensitive areas related to
traditions and practices giving straight and direct information of how people perceive Ramadan and how this
perception changes each year. Unlike last year the number of Muslim Arabs observing the Ramadan fast
this year is down by 2% (98% in 2009). The survey also revealed that a vast majority of this year's
respondents (87%) prefer to celebrate Iftar with their families at home.

The survey was conducted during the month of July, prior to start of the Holy Month; and investigates the
opinions of 1,446 adult Muslims from across the Arabic world. The survey was conducted in Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In total, 68%
of the respondents were males and 41% were between the age of 36 and 45. The second dominating age
range was between 18 and 25 (30%).

"The reason behind this survey is to study the perception of the Holy Month within the local and resident
community across a number of countries in the region," Tamara Deprez, Head of Yahoo! Maktoob
Research. "The major outcome of this research is that the majority of the Arab remains attached to its
traditions, values and practices when it comes to Ramadan. Muslims do feel a special bond and prefer to
spend this Holy Month with family at home."

Key findings extracted from the survey are below:

A majority (56%) of respondents relied on the call to prayer for Ramadan timings while 9% relied on
Mosques for their timings. Other sources of this information were television, newspapers, internet and radio.

The majority view Ramadan as an annual lesson in self-restraint and discipline. They like inviting friends and
family to share the spirit of Ramadan and always pay Zakaat and read the entire Qur'an during the Holy
Month.

In regards to the methodology employed to determine the commencement of the Holy Month, 62% of
respondents favored the time-honored tradition of moon-sighting by the naked eye, while 49% approved of
declaration by scholars.

A majority of respondents (87%) preferred to celebrate Iftar with family at home, others preferred to break
the fast with friends.

Interestingly, 75% of respondents (up from 73% of respondents from the 2009 survey) said they are keen to
receive Islamic content on their mobile phones during the month of Ramadan. Dua's, Prayer times and Holy
Qur'an are the most preferred content choices.
INTERNATIONAL. An overwhelming 96% of Muslim Arabs are observing the Ramadan fast, 89% view
Ramadan as a yearly lesson in self-restraint and discipline, and 71% believe the Holy Month allows them to
feel a sense of solidarity and brotherhood with fellow Muslims.

However, as restaurants and hotels region-wide tout their special Ramadan iftar and suhur promotions, a big
majority (67%) also feels that Ramadan is becoming a bit too commercial.

These were among the findings of an extensive region-wide survey conducted by Maktoob Research on the
attitudes and perceptions of the faithful vis-à-vis Ramadan traditions and practices. The survey, conducted
during the month of August, just prior to the beginning of the holy month, canvassed the opinions of 6,128
adult Muslims from across the Arab world.

Announcing the findings, Tamara Deprez, Director of Maktoob Research, said: “The study throws light on
what Ramadan means today to followers of Islam, and how they perceive the customs and practices
associated with the Holy Month. The survey’s findings show that despite the pace of modern life and the
changes in people’s lifestyle, the Arab world retains its spiritual essence and remains largely tradition-bound
where matters of faith are concerned - more so during the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

The Maktoob Research survey threw up several interesting findings; 62% of respondents were of the view
that non-Muslims living in Arab countries should not eat or drink in public during Ramadan, while 52% held
that all restaurants should be closed during the day - even to non-Muslims - to respect the observance of
Ramadan.

Some 74% of respondents said they read the entire Quran during the month of Ramadan, while – despite
the hugely popular Ramadan TV serials -- 43% said that overall, they watch television less often during the
Holy Month.

In regard to the methodology employed to determine the commencement of the Holy Month, 62% of
respondents favored the time-honored tradition of moon-sighting by the naked eye, although alternative
techniques such as declaration by scholars and astronomical calculation also found significant approval.
Interestingly, 79% of respondents said they are keen to receive Islamic content on their mobile phones
during the month of Ramadan, with Duas, Hadith, prayer timings and Quran verses emerging as the most
preferred content choices.

A majority of respondents preferred to celebrate Iftar with family at home, but there were also sizeable
enough sections that preferred to break fast alongside friends or by attending a religious ceremony.

In other findings, 83% of respondents said they planned to make a special gesture towards family or friends
during the month of Ramadan or during Eid-al-Fitr, a majority of them saying the gesture would likely involve
giving away of money (Eidyeh).

Surprisingly, all 760 respondents from Morocco replied in the affirmative when asked if they intend to
observe fasting during Ramadan this year, whilst 99% of respondents in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and
Egypt, and 85% of UAE muslims, said they would take to fasting during the Holy Month.