Eid al-Fitr: Breaking the month-long fast

END OF RAMADAN. Muslim Filipinos hug one another after the Eid al-Fitr morning prayers at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Wednesday (June 5, 2019). Eid al-Fitr, which means “feast of breaking the fast”, is one of two official Muslim holidays, aside from Eid’l Adha or the “feast of sacrifice”. (PNA photo by Ben Briones)

EID MUBARAK. Filipino Muslims kneel in prayer in celebration of Eid al-Fitr at the Rizal Park in Manila on Wednesday (June 5, 2019). Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

CELEBRATING EID AL-FITR. The Tamano family celebrates the end of Ramadan as they partake of food inside the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Wednesday (June 5, 2019). Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month and is observed with an early morning prayer in mosques and open-air spaces and feasts. (PNA photo by Ben Briones)

MANILA — Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr or “the festival of breaking the fast”, the last day of the holy month of Ramadan.

In the Philippines, there are a lot of practices that Muslims observe or do during Ramadan.

Leebai Sinsuat Ambolodto, a faithful from Mindanao, says it is not merely just a tradition but a holistic fasting.

“Basically, it is refraining from eating [but in general], Ramadan teaches you to be more patient, be more disciplined,” she said, adding that she and her family wake up at 3 a.m. every day for a month to begin the ceremonies.

At the day of the Eid- al Fitr, the first sighting of the new moon, they gather together to celebrate.

It starts by partaking in communal dawn prayers, followed by a short sermon in mosques and open-air spaces and later move on to feasts and festivals.

People congratulate one another as they head home after Eid prayers. They spend the day visiting relatives and neighbors and accepting sweets as they move around from house to house. Children, dressed in new clothes, are offered gifts and money to celebrate the joyous occasion.

This is preceded by the giving of alms to the poor, or zakat, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.