Friday, May 14 gazetted as public holiday

By Brian Okoth

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i. [File, Standard]

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has gazetted Friday, May 14 as a public holiday to mark Idd-ul-Fitr.

Idd-ul-Fitr, the festival of fast-breaking, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadhan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadhan.

As the date of Idd depends on the sighting of the moon, there may be variations in the exact date that is celebrated around the world. The announcement of the exact dates of Idd-ul-Fitr may not happen until close to the start of Ramadhan.

Traditions of Idd-ul-Fitr

'Sawm', which is the practice of fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that it was during the month of Ramadhan that the text of the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Muslims celebrate Idd-ul-Fitr with prayers called "Salat Al Eid" in Arabic. There is no audible call to prayer for the Idd prayers. Muslims will gather in mosques or open spaces and offer two units of prayer – called "Rakat". The prayers are followed by a sermon, in which the imam asks for forgiveness, mercy, and peace for every being across the world.

Other key elements of the Idd celebrations are giving money to the poor (known as 'Zakat al-Fitr', the amount to be given depends on the possessions someone has), sending Idd greetings and feasting with families.

For many Muslims, Idd-ul-Fitr is a festival to show gratitude to Allah for the help and strength he gave them throughout the month of Ramadhan to help them practice self-control.

The phrase commonly used by Muslims as a greeting on this day is “Idd Mubarak”, which is Arabic for 'blessed festival'. The proper response to Idd Mubarak is "Khair Mubarak", which wishes goodness on the person who has greeted you.

The first Idd-ul-Fitr was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions after their victory in the battle of Jang-e-Badar, a turning point in Muhammad's struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca during in the early days of Islam.

Idd-ul-Fitr also be called 'Feast of the Lesser Bairam, Bairam being a Turkic word for holiday. It may seem odd that the word lesser is used for such a widely celebrated festival, the reason is that the 'Greater Bairam' is Idd-ul-Adha, the other great Islamic festival which is seen as the holier of the two.

This public holiday is mainly celebrated by Kenyan Muslims but it is observed nationally.

(Detailed information about Idd-ul-Fitr sourced from officeholidays.com)