Eid

American  

[eed] / id /

noun

1. either of two Islamic festivals, Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha.

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Usage

What is Eid? Eid is a short name for two different major Islamic festivals that occur at different times—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.Both are commonly referred to as Eid for short, and the greeting Eid Mubarak (roughly meaning “Happy Eid” or “Blessed Eid”) can be used for both.Eid al-FitrEid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which many Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset each day.Eid al-fitr begins the day after Ramadan ends. Its name means “festival of the breaking of the fast.” It is traditionally marked with a special meal—which for many Muslims is the first daytime meal they’ve eaten in a month.Along with the Eid al-Fitr feast, many Muslims observe the day by getting dressed up, decorating their homes, gathering with family and friends, attending services at their mosque, and making charitable donations.Eid al-Fitr is sometimes spelled Eid-ul-Fitr.Eid al-AdhaEid al-Adha is a four-day festival that commemorates the story of Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s)  willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael (Ishmael) when Allah commanded him to. When Ibrahim showed that he would obey, Allah provided a sheep for Ibrahim to sacrifice instead.For this reason, Eid al-Adha traditionally involves sacrificing a sheep or goat. The meat is then divided among family, friends, and those in need.Many Muslims observe the festival by dressing up, attending services at their mosque, gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and making charitable donations.Eid al-Adha occurs on the last day of Hajj, a pilgrimage that Muslims are obligated to undertake once in their lives.Eid al-Adha can also be spelled ʾId al-Adha or Eid-ul-Adha. It is sometimes called Big Eid, the Festival of Sacrifice, and the Great Festival.

Etymology

Origin of Eid

First recorded in 1695–1700; from Arabic ʿīd “festival, feast,” from Aramaic ʿed “day of assembly, feast day, festival”

Example Sentences

Both sides announced a truce for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

From Barron's

Some 200,000 people visited the company’s cinemas in the U.A.E., and half a million across the Middle East, during the recent three-day Eid holidays, he said, a number comparable to previous years.

From The Wall Street Journal

The foreign ministry said the family of linguist and researcher Dennis Coyle had written to the supreme leader of Afghanistan, asking that he be released and pardoned for Eid.

From Barron's

This year Nowruz should have been even more special, since it coincides with Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

From Los Angeles Times

Bangladesh shut universities and brought forward the Eid holidays, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to limit electricity consumption.

From Barron's