Eid
Americannoun
Usage
What is Eid? Eid is a short name for two different major Islamic festivals that occur at different times—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.Both are commonly referred to as Eid for short, and the greeting Eid Mubarak (roughly meaning “Happy Eid” or “Blessed Eid”) can be used for both.Eid al-FitrEid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which many Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset each day.Eid al-fitr begins the day after Ramadan ends. Its name means “festival of the breaking of the fast.” It is traditionally marked with a special meal—which for many Muslims is the first daytime meal they’ve eaten in a month.Along with the Eid al-Fitr feast, many Muslims observe the day by getting dressed up, decorating their homes, gathering with family and friends, attending services at their mosque, and making charitable donations.Eid al-Fitr is sometimes spelled Eid-ul-Fitr.Eid al-AdhaEid al-Adha is a four-day festival that commemorates the story of Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael (Ishmael) when Allah commanded him to. When Ibrahim showed that he would obey, Allah provided a sheep for Ibrahim to sacrifice instead.For this reason, Eid al-Adha traditionally involves sacrificing a sheep or goat. The meat is then divided among family, friends, and those in need.Many Muslims observe the festival by dressing up, attending services at their mosque, gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and making charitable donations.Eid al-Adha occurs on the last day of Hajj, a pilgrimage that Muslims are obligated to undertake once in their lives.Eid al-Adha can also be spelled ʾId al-Adha or Eid-ul-Adha. It is sometimes called Big Eid, the Festival of Sacrifice, and the Great Festival.
Etymology
Origin of Eid
First recorded in 1695–1700; from Arabic ʿīd “festival, feast,” from Aramaic ʿed “day of assembly, feast day, festival”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This weekend in central Gaza, 14-year-old Muhannad Eid was crushed by an aid pallet as he ran toward it.
From Los Angeles Times
An Eid pardon in Muslim countries can be given to inmates by the monarch or president as a gesture of compassion and a way to offer individuals a second chance during religious holidays.
From BBC
Yet it seems unlikely that that the six-justice Mahmoud majority is prepared to require schools to provide notice and opt-out accommodations to these parents or, in the alternative, remove from the curriculum and the classroom books ranging from Ten Little Christmas Presents to Once Upon an Eid to Happy Diwali!.
From Slate
She feels dizzy every time she tries to get up and puts it down to the effect of fasting ahead of Eid al-Adha, when she's already very malnourished.
From BBC
It's the first day of Eid al-Adha, when her dad would usually sacrifice a sheep and they'd share the meat with the needy and their relatives.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.