Eid and its many meanings in Qatar

For the Muslim faithful, Eid (al-Fitr) marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and a time to give thanks and celebrate. And, by default, it also offers other faith groups living in the Middle East exciting “Eid break” benefits, too.

Confused?

Of course you are (unless you are Muslim or are already accustomed to the rhythm of life in this neck of the woods or rather this part of the desert).

It has taken us three years of living in Qatar to appreciate Eid and what it means.

And so, to save you time and bother, here is a basic beginner’s guide to Eid or rather the Eids, with thanks to those who have enlightened us.

P.S. Out of respect and given the sensitive nature of the religious celebrations, many of the images used have already been shared publicly by others. I acknowledge and thank Doha News, Qatar Living and the various tour package companies for this.

I also beg your understanding and grace for my appalling screen shot abilities!

Eid Al-Fitr – the celebration

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal. The Shawwal is the 10^th month of the Islamic calendar.

The holiday is celebrated with congregational prayers and festivities that includes new clothes, family visits and outings. More on this later.

Eid Al-Fitr – the date keeps changing

Since Islam follows a lunar calendar, Eid Al-Fitr moves back about 10 days each year.

This means that Eid-Al-Fitr, which began on 30 March this year, will, for example, be at Christmas in 2033!

I had naively assumed Eid happened at the same time each year, which is why I could never pin the date down.

And then I also discovered (confession number 2) that there are two Eid celebrations.

(I suppose the lifestyle of those adhering to the Muslim faith had been far removed from mine while I was living in South Africa where neither Eid celebration received much “air play”, let alone a public holiday.)

The second Eid – Eid Al-Adha

While the first Eid (Eid Al-Fitr, which means “breaking of the fast”) happens in the tenth month, the second, Eid (Eid A-Adha) falls in the final month of the Islamic calendar, about two months later.

Are you still with me?

Anyway, this second Eid, is referred to as the “Feast of Sacrifice” to honour prophet Abraham’s faith as he was willing to sacrifice his son at God’s command.  An angel stopped him, and a lamb/sheep was offered as a substitute instead.

Sound familiar?

There are celebrations and religious observations.

And like the first Eid, it’s holiday time but also a time to give one another gifts – a bit like Christmas, but not.

Both Eids mean holidays

In Qatar, and all other Gulf countries, both Eid celebrations are public holidays. This break is at least three days’ long.

Until May this year, everyone second guessed when the Government might announce the start and end of the holiday and book their get-aways accordingly.

The new official list of public holidays indicates that rather than getting a few extra days for Eid, there will be cut back in days off dependent on when the Eid dates fall – be it before, during or after the weekend.

So, no more anticipation of additional days ahead of the government’s official Eid notification (remember, the lunar calendar – the sighting of the moon – dictates the actual start of each Eid celebration ).

Eid mini breaks

Regardless of the new directives, those of us who can, will continue to take advantage of the public holidays and Doha’s location in accessing up to 19 countries within five hours’ flight of Qatar.

This is what Eid means to us – the opportunity to travel!

The countries are Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles and Nepal.

To date, we have been fortunate to visit five of them – Cyprus, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Armenia.

This is largely thanks to Qatar tourism companies offering Eid mini-breaks travel packages. These three- to five-day trips at reasonable rates cover flights, accommodation and a local guide taking you to that country’s major tourism sites.

I hope to soon share a post on Armenia! It was fascinating.

But back to Eid in Qatar.

Eid for Muslims

As I have learnt and am still learning, Eid Al Adha is perceived as the greater of the two celebrations because of the many customs that are carried out. Eid Al-Adha is also celebrated on the third day of the Hajj – that’s the annual pilgrimage made by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

In my mind, it is the “goat” Eid because of the many goats we see in the lead up to the event, as young goats are slaughtered for the celebratory feast.

But before all this, the celebrations begin with a visit to the mosque to perform a special congregational prayer, known as Salat Al Eid, which further unifies believers during this period.

Muslims celebrate by buying new clothes and handing out money.

I am told that the ATMs were once set up so that you could receive your requested cash payment in smaller denominations for handing out to others.

There is great charity (Zakat) towards others during this period – particularly around the sharing of food.

Eid specials

Like Christmas and Easter, Eid is a religious holiday. But as with the former, there is a commercial spin-off. These are the “Eid specials”.

Social media, the print media, broadcast media and the like are forever marketing special dining offers, shopping deals and entertainment options.

My favourites are the Eid bazaars that come in massive state-of-the-art exhibition tents (the size of a rugby field) at which traders from throughout the Gulf region and beyond bring their exotic wares (well, to us they are).

Clothing (mainly abayas), footwear, foods, especially sweets, and household goods are displayed in individual booths where bartering takes place.

Restaurants offer Eid specials in the form of set menus of popular local foods.

There are even Eid specials for cars with a call to action that goes like this:

“Prepare for amazing surprises with your new Toyota this Eid! When you drive home in a Toyota Veloz, Urban Cruiser or Corolla, you’ll receive a stunning 10-Gram gold bar” And if you dig deeper into your pockets for a Fortuner, RAV4 or Camry, then you will be rewarded with an even more impressive 20-gram gold bar.

While Eid is especially for the Muslim faithful, I, for one, am grateful for what it offers all of us generally – public holidays and an opportunity to travel!

Thank you, Qatar.