Eid al Fitr

What is Eid al Fitr?

Eid is the festival which marks the end of Ramadan. It is a happy occasion and a day of true thanksgiving for Muslims. The day begins with giving to charity and prayers in the Mosque, and then Muslims share celebratory meals with family and friends and exchange gifts. As with the start of Ramadan, the exact date of Eid also depends on the sighting of the moon.

When is the festival taking place?

In the UK, Eid is expected to start on the evening of Tuesday 9th April and is expected to end on the evening of Wednesday 10th April.

Please keep in mind that the Islamic calendar follows the phases of the moon, also known as “the lunar cycle.” This means that the exact start and end date of Eid can vary according to the sighting of the moon and where your organisation is based.

You can use the Adhan Ramadan Calendar to check when Eid starts and ends, but make sure you select the right location for your organisation as the start time will vary across different countries and locations.

You’ll notice in the image above a traditional Indonesian drum known as a bedug drum. These bedug drums call people to prayer or welcome the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Why do Muslims celebrate Eid al Fitr?

Eid was established by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to mark the conclusion of Ramadan. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and the day serves as a reward for Muslims who observe fasts and engage in prayer.

Facts you should know

Here are a few quick Eid al Fitr facts to know:

• If you would like to share well wishes with your colleagues on Eid, you can say “Eid Mubarak”, which means “Happy Eid.”
• Eid is expected to take place on Tuesday 9th April but this may change depending on sightings of the moon.
• Eid is celebrated by 1.9 billion people worldwide.
• Eid al-Fitr is different from Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha takes place later in the year and is the second main holiday celebrated in Islam.

How to celebrate Eid al Fitr in the workplace

There are numerous ways to support people celebrating Eid al Fitr, including:

• Downloading our Ramadan factsheet to check for considerations you may need to make for Muslim colleagues who celebrate Eid al Fitr
• Talking with your Muslim colleagues about how they celebrate Eid al Fitr
• Booking Islam in the Workplace training to learn how to make the workplace more inclusive of our Muslim colleagues.
• Downloading our Islam factsheet to learn more about Islam and how to make the workplace inclusive to those who practice the religion.
• Share our faith, religion and belief at work podcast with your inclusion network to learn more about the experiences of your religious colleagues.

Next steps to embed faith inclusion at work

If you would like to explore how the the best practice highlighted in this awareness day page can benefit your workplace, we would love to hear from you. Start the conversation by filling in the form below: