What is Eid al-Fitr? Ramadan & the Festival of Breaking the Fast - Behind the News

Eid Al-Fitr is an important Islamic holiday and marks the end of Ramadan. We meet some kids who tell us about their religion and how they’ll be celebrating Eid.
JOSEPH: Hi BTN, my name is Joseph.
AFSA: And I'm Afsa.
FAISAL: I'm Faisal.
KHADIJA: And I'm Khadija.
AFSA: Today we're going to be teaching you about Ramadan and Eid.
JOSEPH: Ramadan is a special time in the Islamic calendar.
AFSA: Islam is the world's second-largest religion with 1.8 billion followers around the globe. Those who follow Islam are called Muslims.
KHADIJA: There are five pillars of Islam, which are rules Muslims follow. They are trusting and understanding the Shahadah, or the Declaration of Faith.
JOSEPH: Prayer five times a day.
AFSA: Giving money to charity.
FAISAL: Participating in Hajj at least once in your lifetime which is a pilgrimage to a place called Mecca.
KHADIJA: And fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
FAISAL: Ramadan is a month in Islam where people from all around the world fast for a whole month.
AFSA: Of course having no food or water for a whole month is impossible.
JOSEPH: Actually we have a meal before dawn, it is called Suhoor so we can get ready to fast.
FAISAL: And then after a long day of fasting we share an evening meal called the 'Iftar'.
AFSA: When I first started it was very hard but then a couple days after it got really easy because I obviously got more patient and I got stronger.
FAISAL: The hardest bit about Ramadan is when people eat in front of your face like your siblings and you feel tempted to eat with them, like that delicious food that your parents cook for your siblings and you just have to stay strong.
JOSEPH: But it's meant to be challenging and it's a really important month for Muslim community.
AFSA: Of course, not everyone has to fast, people who are sick, pregnant, elderly or young don't have to take part.
FAISAL: During Ramadan it's important for us to focus on stuff like praying reading our religious book called the Quran and also helping those in need.
KHADIJA: When the month wraps up, we celebrate with a big party called Eid.
JOSEPH: The best part about Eid is enjoying the rewards for all of the hard work during Ramadan.
AFSA: We go and pray in the morning, and after that we eat some food and talk about how it was and yeah, just have fun.
FAISAL: And of course there are plenty of sweets.
AFSA: My favourite thing about Eid is receiving gifts and giving them back to the little kids.
FAISAL: The thing that I really like about Eid is when you meet your relatives and friends that you didn't meet in a long time because they live far away.
KHADIJA: It's not just for Muslims either. There are big celebrations all around the world and everyone is invited.
FAISAL: Thanks for letting us teach you about our religion.
JOSEPH: Back to you Amelia.
Bye.
TEACHER RESOURCES
Students will develop a deeper understanding of what Ramadan is and the traditions observed during Ramadan.
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BTN STORY PAGE
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Ramadan Begins www.abc.net.au/btn/10526258
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