Laylet el Eid (the Night of Eid) by Umm Khoultum

The diva does it again. Festive song for a festive season.

Eid Fireworks

From the early morning of Eid, the fireworks begin to pop off (the sort of "caps" that children are banned from playing with in Canada since I was a child), following the Eid prayer, it is as if a tempestuous storm has traveled through - with the frequent whizzing of fiery crackers and the smoky air they leave in their wake.

Jolt yourself awake with coffee

In Eid, after fasting the month of Ramadan and going out to the cafes or in the comfort of the home, it is great to remember the gift of Egyptian strong coffee and strong tea. Even the Latte Macchiatos are stronger here.

Eid Sweets

Kahk is not the only sweet stockpiled and devoured during Eid. There are many many delights consumed during this sweet holiday season. During the Eid prayer, people walk amongst the people praying and hand out sweet dates, bonbons, cookies, etc. Here is a picture of a few of the festive offerings from the bakeries:

Eid Perfume

Source: Tour Egypt Article:
The Flowers of Ancient Egypt and Today

Egyptians have a long history of creating and wearing beautiful perfumes and using incense. During Eid ul Fitr, Muslims wear sweet perfumes in addition to eating sweet desserts along with the feast, in celebration of the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Prophet Muhammad said: Made beloved to me from your world are women and perfume, and the coolness of my eyes is in prayer. (Ahmad and An-Nasa ‘i)

Some other beautiful quotes about perfume in the spirit of Eid ul Fitr:

If you go to the garden of the Heart,

You'll have beautiful perfume like a rose.

If you fly to the sky,

Your face will turn into a moon like the angels.

- Rumi

Eating out on the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr

After fasting from sunrise to sunset for an entire month, it is a wonderful feeling to wake up and go out and have breakfast or sit in a cafe during the day with friends and family!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Eid Prayer

The Eid prayer is one of the most beautiful prayers in Islam. It begins at sunrise of the morning of the first day of Eid.

The people gather nearby the mosques, but prayer is held outside in nature, under the wakening sunshine and over the grass (in Egypt, large carpets with festive design are lain down over the ground to keep people dry from the morning dew as they pray and to keep clean). 

Before the actual prayer, the people chant prayer together (sort of like one massive outdoors choir), with different people taking turns at the microphone which leads the crowd, voices ringing in unison across the landscape. Children run about through the crowds of people. 

Everyone is dressed in their finest clothes or beautiful prayer gowns, as the prayer goes on you can hear the laughter of children and the calls of awakening birds around you, while the people stand shoulder to shoulder with one another, giving greeting and sweet tidings for the year ahead. 

Buying Clothes for Eid

Every Eid, Egyptians go shopping ahead of time to have new clothes to wear for the holiday. It is also a chance to do an annual (or bi-annual if you do it for both Eids) "spring-cleaning", getting out with the old and in with the new, not just clothing, but bedsheets, towels, etc. The below are scenes from downtown Cairo Pre-Eid Shopping.

Prayer Carpets

The five times of prayer a day in Islam are meant to be a direct channel of communication between a person and God. As such, Muslims have ritual washing (wudu) before prayer, among which is cleaning the feet, and also standing on a clean carpet before praying to God. Prayer carpets have a nice velvety soft feeling under your feet, and are often made of bright colors. This picture is taken from a store just outside of Khan al Khalili. Note, prayer carpets are not essential for praying, here in Egypt you will often see people praying in the grass for example, over "nature's carpet" (especially the case for the Eid prayer), though carpets are added over the grass too when available.