by Steven McKinnon, Mindful Mum, August 16th 2012

• What is Eid ul-Fitr?
• How is Eid ul-Fitr celebrated?
• How to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr with your little one
• Date cookie recipe
• Watch a video of an Eid ul-Fitr celebration

What is Eid ul-Fitr

Eid ul-Fitr (meaning ‘festivity breaking the fast’) is celebrated on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, Shaw’waal.

It is celebrated to give thanks to Allah, and to mark the completion of Ramadan.

How is Eid ul-Fitr celebrated?

Muslims mark Eid ul-Fitr by getting up before sunrise and wearing new clothes and perfume.

It is forbidden to fast during Eid ul-Fitr, and breakfast usually consists of something small and sweet, such as dates. After breakfast, Muslims attend a special Eid prayer, called salaat.

It is also obligatory to offer acts of charity to the poor and needy before reciting another Eid prayer, which is performed on foot whilst travelling to an Eid service.

Muslims may decorate their houses to commemorate Eid ul-Fitr, and processions may take place as well. A celebratory meal will also be enjoyed in the daytime, for the first time in a month.

Eid is a time for forgiving and forgetting, and for forging new friendships.

How to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr with your little one

Will you be dressing up in your finest clothes and making your way to your mosque this year, or celebrating some other way? If you’d like to let your child join in with you, why not let them help you make date cookies using our recipe below?

Date cookie recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of ground fenugreek seeds
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar, granulated
• 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
• 1 cup of clarified butter
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 2 cups of pitted dates
• 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup of sesame seeds

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, fenugreek, salt, sugar and yeast. Add the butter and mix until well combined.
2. Gently heat the milk and slowly add it to the flour mixture, then knead into a soft dough.
3. Cover the mixture for half an hour. In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 175C/350F and put the dates into a bowl, kneading them with the nutmeg.
4. When the dough is ready, take a small piece flatten it onto your work surface.
5. Take a little of your date and nutmeg mixture and roll it into a thin strip, then place in the centre of your flattened piece of dough, and wrap it.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have used up all of your mixture.
7. Place your cookies on a lined baking tray and brush with the egg white, sprinkling the sesame seeds on afterwards.
8. Bake your cookies for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

Watch a video of an Eid ul-Fitr celebration

Photography: Koshy Koshy @Flickr

+Steven McKinnon