History & traditions
Why Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated — the festival at the end of Ramzan
The end of a month of fasting
Eid ul-Fitr, often called Meethi Eid in India, marks the end of Ramzan (Ramadan), the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During Ramzan, adult Muslims who are able to do so fast from dawn to sunset each day, without food or water, and spend extra time in prayer, Quran recitation and charity. Muslims believe that the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during this month. Eid falls on the first day of the next month, Shawwal, and is a day of gratitude, prayer and celebration.
Why the date moves every year
The Islamic calendar is lunar, with months of 29 or 30 days, so its year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year. That is why Eid comes roughly eleven days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar and moves through all the seasons over about 33 years. Each new month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon. In India, local moon-sighting committees and religious leaders announce whether Eid will be the next day, so the exact date is confirmed only the evening before, and it can differ by a day between regions such as Kerala and North India, or from the Gulf countries.
The day of Eid
Before the Eid prayer, every Muslim household that can afford it gives Zakat al-Fitr (also called Fitrana or Sadaqat al-Fitr), a set charitable gift, usually of food staples or their value, so that people in need can also celebrate. In the morning, people bathe, dress in new or best clothes and gather for the special Eid namaz in large congregations at mosques and Eidgahs, often in open grounds. After the prayer, people embrace one another, saying 'Eid Mubarak', and visit relatives and neighbours.
Homes are full of food. Sheer khurma or sewaiyan — vermicelli cooked with milk, dates and dry fruits — is the signature dish across much of India, alongside biryani, kebabs and regional sweets. Elders give children Eidi, gifts of money. Markets stay open late on the last nights of Ramzan, and famous food streets such as those near Jama Masjid in Delhi, Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, Charminar in Hyderabad and Zakaria Street in Kolkata draw huge crowds for iftar and shopping.
A shared festival
In India, Eid is a public holiday, and it is common for neighbours and friends of other faiths to visit homes, share sewaiyan and send greetings. In Kerala it is called Cheriya Perunnal, the 'small festival', while Bakrid is Valiya Perunnal, the 'big festival'.
Planning your trip
Because the date is confirmed only after the moon is sighted, book flexible tickets or travel a day earlier than the expected date. Flights to Hyderabad, Lucknow, Srinagar, Kozhikode, Kolkata and Gulf cities fill quickly in the last week of Ramzan.