Eid al Fitr & Eid Mubrak

Eid al Fitr [‘eed ul fit-terr] is the name of the holiday which follows the month of fasting during Ramadan; the first day for a month where you can eat and drink during daylight hours. It's also the first day of the 10th lunar month of the Arabic calendar.

The word 'Eid' means happiness/ festivity whilst F’tr means 'to break'. For me Eid at F’tr is unique among festivals world wide, I can't think of another one which appears to be purely about personal achievement. It's also a time to be with the family.

Arabs will greet each other with the words Eid Mubarak [‘eed moo-ba-rrak] or, 'holiday congratulations'.

In Saudi Arabia a nine day national holiday always occurs at Eid al f’tr, which translates into two weeks off work.  In the rest of the Gulf, three days is the norm.