Ge'ez CalendarWhat is Eid al-Fitr?
Eid al-Fitr (ዒድ አል-ፈጥር), the “festival of breaking the fast”, marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting from dawn to sunset. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a public holiday in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Islam has a long history in Ethiopia: in the 7th century, followers of the Prophet Muhammad found refuge with the Christian king of Aksum, an event known as the First Hijra.
Why the date moves
The Islamic calendar is lunar, so it is about 11 days shorter than the solar year. Eid al-Fitr therefore comes about 11 days earlier every year in both the Gregorian and the Ethiopian calendar. The dates on this page come from the Umm al-Qura calendar. In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council announces the date once the new crescent moon is sighted, so the holiday can be a day later than shown. Some years it falls twice in one Gregorian year.
How Eid is celebrated in Ethiopia
- Morning prayer. Hundreds of thousands of worshippers gather for the Eid prayer. In Addis Ababa the largest prayers are held in open spaces such as the stadium area and Meskel Square, with white clothing everywhere.
- Zakat al-Fitr. Before the prayer, families give charity so that people in need can celebrate too.
- Family and food. Families visit relatives and neighbours, Muslim and Christian alike, and share dishes such as doro wat, sambusa and sweets.
- Harar. In the old walled city of Harar, a centre of Islamic learning, Eid is celebrated with special festivities and music.
Eid in the diaspora
Ethiopian and Eritrean mosques and community centres abroad hold Eid prayers and gatherings; dates can differ slightly from Ethiopia depending on the local moon-sighting authority.