The celebration that marks the Holy Month of Ramadan finishing and the festivity of Eid-ul-Fitr commencing is the night of the moon: the celebration of Chand Raat which, due to being dependent on the moon being sighted, will occur on different nights around the world. Chand Raat occurs on the evening of the last day of Ramadan when families and friends await the first sighting of the first lunar crescent, heralding the arrival of both the new month and the beginning of Eid. In Australia, Muslims will be celebrating Chand Raat on the 19th September 2009. At the town of Liverppool in New South Wales, Australia, the Chand Raat Festival will be celebrated with a vast carnival from 6pm until midnight with a range of stalls, entertainment and children’s ride. This is far more modest in New Jersey, USA where Chand Raat stalls for last minute Eid shopping is being held in the Holiday Inn, at Edison, New Jersey from 4pm on 19th September 2009 until 01.00am on 20th September 2009. Meanwhile, in Seattle the preparations for Eid this year are commencing a few days early for some of the Muslims who have decided to run a food drive for the needy.
Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in style in Manchester, England where the British Muslims have been holding a Chand Raat event every year at the Longsight Market in Manchester since 2002. This has now become a sensational event in the Muslim calendar in Britain and takes the form of a family evening where fun is definitely the order of Chand Raat. This includes a funfair, specialist food stalls selling Asian food, crafts and jewellery stalls and stalls selling some very beautiful ready-made Asian garments and shoes for families to dress up in the following day for Eid Prayers. A particular attraction will be the Bhangra drummers. Chand Raat Festival in Manchester will be held on the evening of 20th September from 5pm until midnight.
In countries which are mainly Muslim, the shops are brightly decorated and last minute shopping or just browsing amongst the stores fills the street with happy people all intent on enjoying the holiday ambience. As this evening evolves, women and girls help to prepare the desserts ready for the following day and enjoy the evening getting themselves ready for the next day: preparing and applying mehndi to their hands and feet and making sure their new clothes are all ready for the following day. The following day, Eid-ul-Fitr, the children will receive gifts and Sadaqa al-Fitr [or Fitrana as it is colloquially known] is money given for charity so that poor people will also be able to enjoy the Eid celebrations. The donated Fitrana is distributed before Eid Prayers.
This is an obligation according to the principles of Muslim life. Giving to charity is particularly important for a Muslim and is ordained as an obligation by Allah – especially so, when a Muslim’s wealth reaches the equivalent of 6.12gms of silver or 87.48 gms of gold in either gold, silver, merchandise or cash. When you take into account your Zakatable assets you need to make allowance for any amount you owe to others as you are not liable to pay on wealth that doesn’t belong to you. At the end of Ramadan those Muslims who are liable to pay Zakat will be expected to contribute towards Sadaqa al-Fitr [Fitrana].