Three million Muslims in the UK will break their fast which began on 18th June to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr later this week, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting- Ramadan. This year the Eid is expected to be around 17 July in the UK, depending on the sighting of the new moon.
Reports suggest due to the Ramadan celebrations, Britain’s biggest supermarkets have been boosted with a £100million sales uplift. This was welcomed by supermarkets, with retail consultants saying the religious festival is now the third most important to stores behind Christmas and Easter. Retailers saw an increase in customers buying Asian products from stores. Sales were up on key ingredients that are used to cook meals during Ramadan including meat, rice and fruit the big sellers.
This Ramadan was the most challenging fast in decades because the holy month coincided with the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere for the first time in more than 30 years. The longer days meant the fasting period stretched to almost 19 hours in Britain, compared to the Middle East where it lasted between 15 and 16 hours.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam along with belief, worship, charitable donation and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Ramadan marks the anniversary of the Quran being revealed to Prophet Mohammed.
The Eid celebration will begin with morning prayers, followed by feasting and festivities among family and friends. Some also celebrate the festival by wearing new clothes, giving each other gifts and decorating their homes.
The mosques in the UK, try their best to make sure the community gets to celebrate the festivities equally and get a chance to offer their prayers. In 2012, the East London mosque in Tower Hamlets had 6 prayer sessions to accommodate all the devotees.
While PM David Cameron will send his Eid message for the community later this week, Liberal Democrat Party President Sal Brinton said: “As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, I would like to wish Muslims in the United Kingdom and all over the world a happy Eid-ul-Fitr..."
Asian Voice would like to wish all our Muslim readers Eid-Mubarak.
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From planning the family’s Eid menu to shopping for gifts, the happiness and magic of the festivity is truly underway. As the celebrations begin we catch up with celebrities asking them what they'll be cooking this Eid and what most they are looking forward to eating.
BBC Asian Network DJ Noreen Khan What are your favourite foods for Eid? My fave food for Eid is brown vegetarian rice with potatoes and peas with raita and a yummy salad. How will you be celebrating Eid? With my family in Bedford, I always make sure I get family time in on Eid. If you had to cook an Eid meal, what would you cook? It would be an all veggie meal, which would consist of rice, paneer with peas curry, and vegetable samosas, which I love. Then for dessert it’ll be semiya. Did you cook during Ramadan at all? Yes I've cooked a few veggie curries during Ramadan like Rajma and some stir-fries. Any message for your fans for Eid? My message is to just enjoy the day with your close family and friends and please don't forget about those who are less fortunate than us. Oh and I also look forward to seeing everyone's Eid selfies.
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Owais Khan, reality star on the Sky 1 series Desi Rascals |
What are your favourite foods for Eid? My nani's sevia kesari, which is a vermicelli based dessert. How will you be celebrating Eid? Morning Eid prayers with my baba, followed with lots of food and family time. If you had to cook an Eid meal, what would you cook? I’m no match for my nani or mother’s cooking, especially on Eid. So I'll leave the cooking to them. Any message for your fans for Eid? Eid Mubarak! I hope you all have a lovely day with your families and remember the second season of Desi Rascals is back on the screens on the 22nd July at 8pm on Sky1. |
