Rabat – With the end of the holy month of Ramadan approaching, astronomy centers around the world are issuing forecasts about the dates of Eid Al-Fitr, including the Tunisian Association of Astronomy.
The association announced on April 19 that Tunisia is set to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr on May 2.
Much like in other Muslim-majority countries, Eid Al-Fitr in Tunisia marks a national holiday.
As the holiday marks the end of Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr is of great religious significance to Muslim communities around the world who come together to break their month-long fast and celebrate the day with family.
Eid Al-Fitr is on the first day of Shawaal in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar is lunar, so Eid Al-Fitr does not fall on the same day on the Gregorian calendar.
Determining the day of Al-Eid hinges on the sighting of the crescent moon, so religious authorities around the world can only confirm the day of Eid Al-Fitr on the evening before.
On the religious level, Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated with a special morning prayer. The prayer “salat” consists of two Rakats (parts) that Muslims should perform in congregation.
As large numbers of worshipers flock to perform the Eid Salat, the prayer takes place often in open-air fields or large halls.
After the morning prayer, Muslims enjoy the Eid festivities by visiting family members.
Muslims greet each other by saying ‘Eid Mubarak,’ an expression in Arabic that means “have a blessed Eid.”
Given that it comes at the end of Ramadan, Muslims inevitably celebrate Eid with special food and sweets.
The occasion also sees a spike in charity activities as Muslims help the needy within their communities and beyond.
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