A phrase of greetings said among Muslims to congratulate each other on holidays. It literally means, "Blessed Festival!" The appropriate answer is, "Allah yubarak feek!" (May Allah bless it for you also!)
Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr often abbreviated as simply Eid, is a
Muslim holiday that marks the end of
Ramadan, the month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic term meaning "festivity" or "celebration" while Fitr means "to break the fast" and can also mean "nature" from the word "fitrah" and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period.
On the day of the celebration, a typical
Muslim family is awake very early and then after praying the first normal everyday prayer, is required to eat in a small quantity, symbolizing the end of Ramadan. They then attend special congregational prayers held only for this occasion in
mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a
sermon. Worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment are commonly observed with visits to the homes of relatives and friends to thank
God for all blessings.
For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion with important religious significance, celebrating of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims celebrate not only the end of all that fasting but also thank God for the help and strength that they believe he gave them throughout the previous month to help everyone practice self-control. It is a time of giving and sharing, and many Muslims dress in holiday attire.
-->>from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
