Eid al-Fitr

My finished mehndi design.

Tonight is the Islamic Festival of the Breaking of the Fast, which ends Ramadan. In Arabic, eid means festivity and fitr means to break a fast. 

Muslims celebrate for three days; they decorate their homes with lights, dress in their finest clothes, and visit with friends and family. It’s a day of peace, unity, and forgiveness. A common greeting is “Eid Mubarak” (Blessed Eid).

Agenda this week:
1. Mehndi Designs
2. Zakaat zl-fitr (Charity of fast breaking)
3. Prayers
4. Make Ma'amoul (Stuffed Date Cookies)

1. Mehndi Designs:

During the Eid celebration some people decorate their hands with patterns called mehndi. They might also decorate their feet or even their foreheads!

The dye for mehndi is made from the leaves of the henna plant, mixed with water and eucalyptus oil. You can buy henna kits all over the place now, and find traditional designs online, or probably buy a design book where you find the henna.

Materials: Henna, lemon juice, sugar, cotton balls, design

The henna I like comes in a foil cone, ready to pipe on, like frosting.

1. First plan your design. You can draw it out on paper if you want. Also, mix up about 1/3 c. cup of lemon juice mixed with 2 Tbsp. sugar.

2. Apply the henna.

3. Let the henna dry for a couple minutes, until it is firm to the touch, then dab it with the lemon juice and sugar syrup. This syrup helps it to set, and keeps it from flaking off. The longer you leave the henna paste on, the darker the design will be. 

4. When you can't stand it any longer, flake off the dried henna, and wash your skin gently. The design will last a week or more.

2. Zakaat zl-fitr (Charity of fast breaking):

Although generosity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special meaning now. The day before the `Eid, Muslims share their blessings by paying zakaat al-fitr, or "charity of fast breaking"- a gift of money or food for the poor. 

Zakaat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The purpose of zakaat is to establish a semblance of equality in our crazy chaotic world. 

This week I will choose a charity or food bank to donate to, or find other ways to be generous; the prophet Muhammad said, “Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity.”

3. Prayers:

The Arabic phrase lā ilāha illā allāh is another one of the pillars of the Muslim faith, and is a part of the call to prayer five times a day throughout the Muslim world. It means There is only one God, which I do believe. Broken down, this is the literal meaning:

lā = no, not, none, neither

ilāha = a god, deity, object of worship

illā = but, except

allāh = allāh (God)

Allāh is the same loving spirit I know, by any name.

For a YouTube video of this chant check SAMI YUSUF LA ILAHA ILLALLAH

4. Make Ma'amoul (Stuffed Date Cookies): 

After prayers, everyone visits the homes of relatives and friends for an enormous midday banquet, featuring a roasted whole lamb and many delicious cookies and sweets. My favorite cookies are Ma’amoul, which means “stuffed” in Arabic. These cookies can be stuffed with a number of different fillings, but date is traditional for the Eid.

Ma'amoul are usually made with a decorative wooden mold (I used one I got in Chinatown) but you can use your hands to shape the cookies, and a fork to press a design in the sides. The recipe is here.