Eid Al Fitr, also known as Eid Al Sagheer or "The Little Feast", is one of two main festivals of Islam.

Starting on the 1st of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic lunar calendar, this three day celebration marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.

It is the day of thanksgiving to Allah that He gave the opportunity to Muslims to enjoy the blessing of Ramadan.

In 2010 it will start on 9 September, in 2011 it will start on 30 August (+/- 1 day, depending ont he sight of the moon).

The celebration of Eid Al Fitr

The ceremony starts early morning with a worship service. This service is generally held in a large open place and is attended by hundreds of Muslims. After the prayer, a short sermon is delivered and then the people greet each other.

The rest of the ceremonies are held privately: People invite and visit each other. Every family kills lamb or other cattle and share the food with the relatives, friends and the poorer members of the community.

Children are given gifts and people also buy new clothes for the whole family on this occaison.

Travelling during Eid Al Fitr

As the Eid and the following days are also bank holidays, no goverment offices are working. Keep it in mind if you have to extend your visa.

Also it is a school holiday, so Aqaba usually gets very crowded as families from the northern part of the country want to enjoy a vacation on the beach.

The ferry between Aqaba and Nuweiba gets also very busy as Egyptian guest workers are going home to celebrate or coming back to Jordan after spending Ramadan with their families.

Related Posts, Websites

• Traveling During Ramadan
• Muslim Holidays
• Public Holidays in Jordan
• Eid Al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice)