According to astronomical calculations, the Eid festival will be celebrated on Friday, marking the end of Ramadan. But the date must still be confirmed this Thursday evening by the Grand Mosque of Paris, during the Night of Doubt.
Each year, the date of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that celebrates the end of Ramadan, changes according to the lunar calendar. According to the forecasts of several authorities of Islam, based on astronomical calculations, the celebrations should take place on Friday April 21, the first day of the new lunar month, that of the chawwal. But the date has yet to be confirmed by the Great Mosque of Paris, according to the ancestral tradition of observing the moonduring the Night of Doubt which will begin this Thursday evening.
The Great Mosque of Paris thus conforms to the most traditional method for determining the date of the end of Ramadan and the celebrations of Eid el-Fitr: that which consists of observing the sky. If the beginning of a crescent moon appears tonight, it will mean that the new lunar month has started well, signaling the end of Ramadan. In the unlikely opposite case, the fast will continue.
However, very reliable scientific calculations make it possible to predict well before the Night of Doubt that Eid will take place on Friday, April 21. Here is everything you need to know about the Muslim holiday.
The Hijri calendar, referring to Muslims, is based on the cycle of the moon and not on that of the sun like our Gregorian calendar. The appearance of the first crescent moon is therefore decisive in the passage of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of moon calendarto that of Shawwal, the tenth.
If it has yet to be confirmed, the possible date of Eid al-Fitr has already been put forward, in particular by those who consider that science is sufficient to estimate the presence and visibility of the moon: astronomical calculations fix this date on Friday 21 April 2023, the date officially set by CFCM and the CTMF.
The day of Eid-el-Fitr is not determined at random, it actually corresponds to the first day of the month of Shawwal, which follows the month of Ramadan (ninth month of the Hijri calendar).
How is the date of Eid al-Fitr determined?
The Muslim fast runs from sunrise to sunset for a whole month, that of Ramadan. Religious authorities thus model themselves on the lunar cycles to determine the date of the start of the fast and that of Eid-el-Fitr, which ends Ramadan and during which the faithful must pay Zakat al-Fitr. , alms for the poorest. To observe the moon and confirm the transition from one month to another, a “Night of Doubt” always takes place on the 29th day of the current month: if a crescent moon (which marks the start of a new cycle) is visible, then the new month begins the day after the observation, otherwise the month extends one more day. In this case, if on the evening of the 29th day of the month of Ramadan, the moon is observed, then Eid-el-Fitr will be celebrated the next day.
If the theological commission of the Great Mosque of Paris is based on the observation of the moon in addition to astronomical calculations, the French Council for Muslim Worship (CFCM), representative body of Islam in France whose authority is currently in question, is based solely on astronomical calculations to determine the start and end dates of Ramadan in advance. These calculations fix the first day of the month of Shawwal of the Hegirian year 1444 on Friday, April 21, 2023. Will the Night of Doubt of the month of Ramadan confirm this date?
Also called “Aïd el-Seghir”, Eid el-Fitr means “little party” in French (“Fitr” meaning “to eat, to have lunch” in Arabic). Feast of forgiveness and peace, it can last up to three days. Tradition has it that on this occasion, the practitioner pays zakat (alms intended for the poorest), which represents the donation of four times the content of two joined hands of food. Six additional days of fasting can be traditionally practiced after the “breaking feast” that is Eid el-Fitr: “the six days of chawwal”, named after the month following that of Ramadan in the “Hijri” calendar. (name of the Muslim calendar).
But beware, the celebration of Eid al-Fitr is not “just” a way to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. It also symbolizes, for Muslim communities around the world, a great moment of sharing, peace and joy. Concretely, the feast of Eid el-Fitr is thus the occasion, usually, of gatherings at the mosque followed by large family meals, gifts, visits to relatives…
During the festivities, Muslims also exchange mutual wishes for “Aïd Mubarak”, “Happy Eid Day” in French. Finally, Eid al-Fitr is also called “sweet feast”. She therefore gives pride of place to desserts, once the morning prayer is over. Ftour, zlabia, gazelle horns or even chebakia, without forgetting the dates stuffed with marzipan… All these foodstuffs will be tasted for this celebration.
Before the Eid prayer, Muslims must have given Zakât al-fitr, almsgiving at the end of Ramadan. This can be offered in food or money for people in need. To validate the efforts made during Ramadan, each believing Muslim must pay alms to the needy, as a mark of solidarity.
The “zakat al-Fitr” allows those in need to celebrate Eid like any Muslim, without having to beg on that day. Recently, the authorities representing the Muslim faith in France set the amount of this alms at 7 euros per person. The person responsible for the family must pay it by paying it for each member of the family for whom he is responsible, including children and babies. A family of 5 with 3 children, even young children, must therefore pay the sum of 35 euros for the end of this Ramadan, in order to “purify” the fast.
4. What is the Eid al-Fitr prayer?
Eid al-Fitr is first and foremost a spiritually important day. It allows you to come back to learn the lessons of this month of fasting, to take stock of the good or bad deeds accomplished. Eid is notably marked by his morning prayer (Salat el aid) which is specific. According to the specialized site Al Kanz, this Eid al-Fitr prayer theoretically takes place when the sun “rises above the horizon the length of a spear” (about three meters).
More concretely, the Eid prayer is inserted between two of the five daily prayers of practitioners, it takes place a few minutes after sunrise (Fajr) and ends shortly before noon (Dhuhr). This prayer is usually performed in a meeting or at the mosque. In practice, the mosques set the time for collective prayer themselves.
How to wish Eid al-Fitr? What happy birthday messages to favor? The specialized site Assabile.com offers different formulas to Muslims and non-Muslims to wish each other a happy Eid el-Fitr feast at the end of the holy month of fasting for the faithful. Here is a selection of those messages:
- “Eid Mubarak Said”
- “Eid Mubarak Said, may God accept your fasting and your prayers”.
- “Eid Mubarak Said to you and all your family, may God bless you and grant your dearest wishes”.
- “Eid Mubarak, best wishes for health and happiness”.