‘Id Mubarak!

‘Id Mubarak! Depending on sighting the moon, the ‘Id al-Fitr (or ‘Eid if you prefer) will most likely begin at sundown Saturday, though it could begin as early as tonight in some countries. Coming right on the heels of Rosh Hashonah (see previous post), there will be much going on this weekend in the Middle East, though for differing reasons.

‘Id al-Fitr — the holiday of Fast-breaking — marks the end of Ramadan. It is sometimes called the "lesser ‘Id" compared to the ‘Id al-‘Adha, the feast of sacrifice in conjunction with the hajj. It has many other names (Ramadan Bayram among them) and celebrations differ from country to country. The Wikipedia entry has some descriptions, of uneven quality depending on the country. It marks the end of the fast, and usually involves public celebrations.