The word ‘Eid’ is an Arabic term for festivity, celebration, happiness, and feast. For Muslims, the day marks the end of Ramadan and the start of a grand celebration. Muslims reside all over the world, from various ethnicities, cultures and countries. Aside from the usual Eid rituals like the recitation of the takbir, Shawwal morning prayers, and attendance of the Eid sermon, every culture celebrates Eid differently. In Malaysia, Muslims celebrate Eid or Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Hari Raya Puasa) with family visits, good food and pyrotechnics. Some staple dishes that are synonymous with Malaysian Eid are rendang, ketupat, lodeh and serunding. We also dress in new clothes and gift duit raya (Eid money) to young children. But do you know how Muslims in other countries celebrate Eid? Read on to find out.
Indonesia
Our closest sister country after Singapore, Indonesian Muslims have similar Eid customs to Malaysian Muslims. For instance, they call it ‘Lebaran’ over there, a term adopted by Malaysians, and they also practice the tradition of forgiveness and duit raya. Their Eid cuisine is also somewhat similar to Malaysia; rendang, lodeh, ketupat and lemang are regularly served at family feasts. But what most people don’t know is that Indonesia has a legally mandated salary bonus for all employees, known as Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR). This is good news for anyone wanting to host an extravagant Lebaran feast for their relatives. Aside from that, Indonesians will also travel in droves back to their hometowns, a mass pilgrimage known as Mudik, which is the equivalent of the Malaysian term of ‘balik kampung‘.
Philippines
Much like in Malaysia, Pilipino Muslims call Eid ‘Hariraya‘, a day of gift-giving (known as Eidi), food sharing (salu-salo), and visiting the elderly and the sick. Muslims would also observe Fitrana or Zakat al-Fitr where they will donate food, alms, and basic necessities to the poor a day before Eid. Families will also serve various traditional sweet delicacies for breakfast like daral,dodol, browas, tinagtag, panyalam, and jampok. A three-day Eid celebration will commence after the hilal (sighting of the crescent moon). Some activities observed during this period are dancing, boat races, horse races, and carabao fighting in cities and towns.
China
Eid in China is a solemn and humble occasion marked by prayer, grave visitations and a memorial service for the Muslims who died during the Panthay Rebellion and Cultural Revolution. Food donations in the form of meat products like beef, meat and lamb are also given to struggling families as part of a welfare program. After Eid prayers, some Chinese Muslims will visit the grave of Sayyid Ajjal, Yunnan’s first provincial governor. There they will clean the grave, perform prayers and recite Quranic verses. Some families in other provinces may celebrate differently and not observe the rituals mentioned. They may celebrate with food, festivity and even dancing. However, due to the small Muslim population in China, each community may have drastically different Eid traditions.
India
On the night before Eid (also called ‘Chandraat’), many Muslims in India will visit Eid bazaars and shopping malls with their families to shop for food and clothes. Indian women and girls will put henna or mendhi on their hands and feet and wear bangles. On the morning of Eid, Muslims will observe their Eid prayer or Eid namaz at the mosque. After prayers, sweet delicacies will be served for breakfast. Some common examples include toasted sweet vermicelli noodles with milk and dried fruit (sheer khurma), and saviyaan, a sweet milky pudding with dates, Lachcha or sivayyan, Relatives will visit each other over the next three days of Eid and the elders and adults will give children money as part of a common Eid tradition called ‘eidi‘. It is customary to wear new clothes on Eid.
Saudi Arabia
Eid in Saudi Arabia is a celebratory occasion marked by communal prayers, family visitations, and good food. Children are especially important in Saudi Eid celebrations. They are encouraged to wear bright coloured clothes and will also a receive lots of money from their elders (sometimes up to a 1000 Riyals in a single day!). In Saudi this tradition is called ‘eidiya‘, which is not unlike the Malaysian ‘duit raya‘. After Eid prayers, people will take a different path home to the one by which they arrived. This custom was said to have been started by the Prophet Muhammad himself. Families will then gather at the grandfather or eldest sibling’s house for fatoor al Eid, a lavish Eid breakfast. Some common Arab delicacies like debyaza and nady will be served at the feast. Families, friends and neighbours will continue visiting each other after breakfast, a tradition known as mouayda.
Turkey
Eid in Turkey is known as Ramazan Feast or Ramadan Bayrami, a three-day holiday. The first day of Eid is called the Candy Festival (Seker Bayrami), a tradition thus named due to the custom of giving children sweets or money wrapped in handkerchiefs. Turkish children will visit neighbours, friends and relatives on the first day of Eid where they are given traditional desserts like Turkish Delight and Baklava. After morning Eid prayers, families visit each other and enjoy breakfast. Many will return to their family homes in different provinces, or to visit relatives. Some Turkish Muslims will also take advantage of the long holiday to go to the beach on the second and third day of Eid. During this time the beach will be filled with Muslims celebrating Eid. There, families and friends may enjoy fishing, swimming and other water activities.
Egypt
Eid in Egypt is celebrated much like in other countries. Children receive ‘eidyah‘ (Eid money), families gather for festivities and food and morning prayers are observed. But a popular pre-Eid tradition that many Egyptian families observe is gathering and cooking Egyptian delicacies, most notably kahk. Kahk are cookies filled with nuts, dates and honey, dusted with powdery sugar. For those who don’t bake, kahk are widely available in bakeries and are sold in large quantities on the eve of Eid. It is not uncommon to see the streets packed with people. Eid is also celebrated for three days, but usually as public outings. Children will wear new clothes and their families will take them out public gardens, amusement parks, shopping malls and courtyards. During this time, they will spend their eidyah earnings on candies, sweets and toys. Many families will also spend the holidays along the Nile bank.
The Many Faces of Eid
It is easy to forget that not every Muslim in the world celebrates Eid (or as we call it locally, Hari Raya) the same was as us Malaysians do. Many treat it as a solemn religious event, others just another extended holiday and some as a grand celebratory occasion. However, some things that many Eid celebrations have in common are family visitations, good food, sweet treats, new clothes, and Eid money for children. It’s amazing to think that even though we are separated by land and sea, Muslims around the world still find some way of connecting with each other on this special holiday. Even if it’s in the smallest ways. So, if you want to start a new Eid tradition in your home, why not give one of these a try? It may just become a regular custom in your family.
Motherhood Story wishes all our Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri in advance!
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