Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr will take place in March 2026
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and the ways in which the themes of fasting and celebration may help us in life.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides accompanying this assembly (Celebrating Eid al-Fitr) and the means to display them.
- You will need the clip ‘KS2 Religious Studies: Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr’ and the means to show it. This can be found at: KS2 Religious Studies: Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr - BBC Teach
Assembly
- Show Slide 1. Welcome the students.
- Show Slide 2.
For anyone celebrating, the Islamic feast that falls in March this year, I’d like to wish you ‘Eid Mubarak’ – a happy, or blessed Eid. For anyone who doesn’t celebrate this festival themselves, hopefully by the end of this assembly you will know a bit more about this important festival and why it is celebrated. - There are 2 main festivals in the Islamic religion. They are called ‘Eid al-Fitr’ and ‘Eid al-Adha’. Eid is the Arabic word for festival or celebration. It's used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians, to refer to their holidays.
- Eid al-Fitr literally means ‘Festival of the breaking of the Fast’, and this is the Islamic festival that is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha literally means ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ and takes place later in the year.
- Eid-al-Fitr is an important festival, celebrated by around 2 billion people worldwide. Regardless of our religious faith, learning about others’ beliefs and practices helps us to be more aware and knowledgeable, rather than ignorant.
- In this video, we see Sara, an 11-year-old British Muslim talk about her experience of Ramadan and Eid, and why the festival of Eid is important to her.
Show video ‘KS2 Religious Studies: Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr’. This can be found at: KS2 Religious Studies: Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr - BBC Teach - Show Slide 3.
To summarise the who, what, where, when and why of Eid al Fitr:
Who? Eid al Fitr is celebrated by Muslims. That means over 25% of our world’s population celebrate Eid. Many of our students and staff will be celebrating Eid.
What? Eid al Fitr is a festival to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Where? Muslims celebrate Eid al Fitr as a community. People gather as a family, and with others. Celebrations take place in the home. Prayers at the mosque are also part of the celebration of Eid.
When? As we know, Eid marks the end of Ramadan. This holy month is a time of fasting for Muslims. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Which means Eid falls on the first day of the 10th month.
Why? Eid is a time to celebrate and enjoy delicious food after the fasting of Ramadan. It is a joyful festival to express gratitude to God for the strength and ability to fast, and to engage in the extra prayers and spiritual practices that are part of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid is a time to come together as a family and to be generous towards others.
Time for reflection
Let’s take a moment to consider the themes of fasting and celebration. These themes can help us all to reflect on what really matters in life, regardless of our faith or religion.
Fasting - Fasting is not unique to Islam. People of many different faiths and also people of no faith practice fasting by giving up food and or drink for a set period of time. This can have health benefits. Within Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism, fasting is also a way to develop self-discipline and spiritual growth. By saying ‘no’ to food for a while, a person can say ‘yes’ to God, and ‘yes’ to a commitment to live a disciplined life. Fasting does not just need to be about giving up food or drink. Fasting can also involve avoiding things like gossiping or using unkind words or lying. In saying ‘no’ to bullying and selfishness, a person can say ‘yes’ to compassion, kindness and a loving attitude to others. Fasting can also involve taking a break from technology, or from leisure activities to spend time with others and in prayer. In saying ‘no’ to screen time, a person can say ‘yes’ to community and connection with others and with God.
Let’s reflect upon the following questions:
How do you feel about the idea of fasting?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
Do you imagine there would be any benefits for you in saying ‘no’ to something?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
By saying ‘no’ to something, is there anything that you feel you might be better placed to say ‘yes’ to?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
Celebration - Eid al Fitr is a celebration of the end of fasting. So, let’s reflect on celebration, and the meaning of this for each of us.
To celebrate is to mark a special event through joyful festivities. Most of us celebrate birthdays and other important occasions such as passing exams, or winning an important sports event etc. A birthday celebration is a chance to recognise that we’re glad that someone was born! A party to celebrate the end of term is a way to recognise the hard work that’s taken place.
Let’s reflect upon the following questions:
Is there something in your own life that you would like to celebrate?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
What is important to you? What things do you think are worth celebrating?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
Who is important? Who in your life is worthy of celebration?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
What achievements matter to you? What has involved a lot of hard work and dedication from yourself, that’s worth celebrating?
Pause to allow time for reflection.
Prayer:
Having had the opportunity to reflect on what these ideas might mean for you, let us bring our thoughts together in prayer:
Dear Lord,
This March, Muslims around the world will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr – the Festival of the Breaking of the Ramadan Fast.
We pray for anyone celebrating this Festival, that they find meaning and purpose through the celebrations with family and friends.
We pray for an appreciation and understanding of how fasting can help people to appreciate what they have in life.
Please help us to consider what we want to say ‘no’ to in our own lives, and what we want to say ‘yes’ to.
Please help us to celebrate the things, people and places in our lives for which we are grateful.
Amen.
