Eid Mubarak! Sunday, March 30, is a day of celebration for French Muslims, who are marking Eid al-Fitr, the breaking of the fast, and the end of Ramadan.
How is this date determined?
In a statement dated 25 March, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) stated that, ‘according to scientific data’, the day of Eid al-Fitr was set for Sunday.
The date shifts by about 10 days each year, as it is fixed on the Hegira calendar, which has only 354 or 355 days per year. According to this count, which begins with the Prophet Mohammed's departure from Mecca in 622 of the Gregorian calendar, we are currently in the year 1446.
The event marks the end of the fasting observed during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on February 28, 2025. The festive day is therefore marked by prayers at the mosque, as well as exchanges of greetings, pastries, tea and small gifts.
Traditionally, believers put on new clothes, give each other gifts and pay an alms, the zakat al-fitr, intended for the poor. The amount is the subject of various estimates. It was set at €7 in 2018, the amount still recommended by the Grand Mosque, while the CFCM felt that this amount "should evolve in view of the significant increase in food prices in recent years", and set it at €9 per person. SaphirNews pointed out that this diversity is nothing new: The Ditib, the body representing Turkish Muslims, has just re-evaluated the amount of zakat from €10 to €15 in 2024.
Eid al-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of bread, is also called Eid al-Seghir, which means "small feast," as opposed to the "big feast" that is Eid al-Kebir. Also called "Eid al-Adha," the latter is a commemoration of the sacrifice recounted in the Koran and in the Old Testament: as Abraham prepares to kill his son to obey God, an angel replaces the child's body with that of a ram. In remembrance, Muslims perform a ritual slaughter of sheep – a practice not performed for the end of Ramadan. Only the prayer said and the greeting (Eid Mubarak, or "blessed celebration") are the same for both celebrations.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.