What are Ramadan and Eid and how are they celebrated in Australia?

As Muslims in Australia and around the world observe Ramadan, a month-long period of devotion and fasting, in this episode, we explore the religious significance of this holy month.

What are Ramadan and Eid, and how are they celebrated in Australia? Credit: Songyuth Unkong / EyeEm/Getty Images

Key Points

• Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam during which healthy adult Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
• Eid al-Fitr is a three-day celebration of end of the holy month of fasting.
• Muslim Australians bring their distinctive cultural practices to the celebration of Eid.

Australia is a multicultural country that has a significant Muslim population. You may have come across, befriended, or worked alongside a Muslim if you reside in a city or a large town. 

Understanding and appreciating one another’s religion and culture is fundamental to a cohesive multicultural society.

Muslims worldwide, including in Australia, observe the holy month of Ramadan. This month-long practice of worship and fasting is a significant aspect of their Islamic faith and culture.

The Islamic Hijri calendar, is based on the cycles of the moon around the Earth. Credit: Pixabay

So, what is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which healthy adult Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk.

Professor Zuleyha Keskin is the Associate Head of the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation at Charles Stuart University in Melbourne.

She says that Muslims experience a huge learning, development, and discipline process during Ramadan.

Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims and that makes it a very special month.

Professor Zuleyha Keskin, Associate Head of the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation at Charles Stuart University, Melbourne.

The Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, is based on the lunar cycle.  

As a result, dates for Islamic occasions vary, and the calendar is approximately 10 to 12 days shorter than the solar year.  

This means that the beginning of Ramadan differs every year. 

A meal with loved ones during Ramadan Source: Getty / Getty Images Jasmin Merdan

Why are Muslims required to fast?

Fasting (Sawm in Arabic) is one of Islam's Five Pillars- Profession of Faith, Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting and Pilgrimage.

During fasting particularly, Muslims are required to refrain from smoking, having sexual relations, expressing anger, or engaging in arguments and committing immoral acts.

Muslims are encouraged to perform additional worship practices such as prayers, reading and understanding the Quran, and charity work. 

After breaking their fast, many Muslims attend a mosque to perform the Taraweeh prayers.

Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, Professor Karima Laachir says Ramadan involves more than abstaining from food or drink.

“Very importantly, it’s a month of spirituality, it’s a month devoted to reconnecting with one's Faith, with God,” Prof Laachir explains.

It's a month where we re-learn to be compassionate human beings, to understand the needs of people who are poor, who cannot afford to eat and reconnect with the world around us.

Professor Karima Laachir, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, ANU

In addition to being a form of prayer and religious duty, Professor Laachir notes that fasting also has health benefits.

“Physically, it’s very healthy because it regulates the body’s metabolism, it purifies the body of any toxicity. So, it's proven to be a very healthy process and we know...about intermittent fasting and how it’s important for the body.”

A meal with loved ones during Ramadan. Source: iStockphoto / PeopleImages/Getty Images/iStockphoto

What is Eid?

After Muslims get through a whole month of fasting, then comes Eid.

Eid is an Arabic word for ‘festival’ or ‘feast’, and there are two main Eids in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Eid al-Fitr, also referred to as the ‘Smaller Eid’. It is a three-day celebration that marks the end of the month of Ramadan or fasting.

“Eid al-Fitr is an opportunity to celebrate what one has achieved during the month of Ramadan.”- Dr Zuleyha Keskin, Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Stuart University

As they embrace Eid, Muslims are also obliged to give charity, known as Zakat al-Fitr, so the poor can celebrate too.

Professor Laachir says, Eid al-Fitr is a celebration of “togetherness and forgiveness” as it rejuvenates the community spirit and encourages Muslims to seek forgiveness.

Furthermore, it offers a great opportunity for kids to have fun, make new friends, and get familiar with the culture.

Buying new clothes, especially for children, cleaning homes, and preparing special sweets and dishes are a big part of Eid preparations.

Eid al-Adha, also known as ‘Eid of Sacrifice’ or ‘Greater Eid,’ comes after the annual Hajj pilgrimage and celebrates Abraham’s willingness to obey God’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

In most Islamic countries, Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday. Source: iStockphoto / Drazen Zigic/Getty Images/iStockphoto

How do Muslim Australians celebrate Eid?

Eid celebrations begin with special prayers in the morning. In most Islamic countries, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are public holidays. 

Communal prayers are held in local mosques and community centres, and people greet each other with 'Eid Mubarak', which means 'Blessed Eid'.  

Families and friends also visit one another, and community gatherings are common during Eid.

"It's very much a family collective celebration where everybody visits everybody else, and they indulge for the three days of Eid al-Fitr celebration in banquets and food, special cakes and dishes," Prof Laachir adds.

However, Muslim Australians come from many countries with distinctive cultural practices and the celebrations vary.

Ali Awan is an Australian of Pakistani background who is particularly busy during Eid al-Fitr every year. He organises one of Australia’s biggest multicultural Eid festivals.

Members of the muslim community celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan with prayer at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Numbers were down due to the bad weather with only a handful of worshippers forced to take prayer outside the mosque. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING - Source: AAP / DEAN LEWINS/AAPIMAGE

He says there are “huge” cultural differences between Muslims of different backgrounds. His job as the chair of the Australian Multicultural Eid Festival is to bring all of them together in one place.

“Some people cook different food, and they have different dresses that they wear on the Eid day. And then, when it comes to celebration, it could be in terms of some activities, some performances, some way of explorations, and all these things,” Mr Awan explains.

During the Eid festival, we try to bring together all of the different performances, different cultures into one place and that’s the beauty of Australia.

Ali Awan, Australian Multicultural Eid Festival

Professor Laachir agrees, saying the Eid celebrations in Australia are much more diverse and powerful than in many Islamic countries.

“What is beautiful about the Muslim community in Australia is that most of the celebrations happen in community centres and in local mosques, which tend to bring all these communities together, of different backgrounds,” she says.