What is Eid? The Reason We Got a Day Off on April 20

By Viola Aderholt (Freshman)

On Friday, April 21st, Pittsburgh Public Schools recognized the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr by giving all students the day off. Eid al-Fitr (also known as Eid, or the festival of breaking the fast), is an important day for anyone who observes Ramadan. It is essentially the day people break their daytime fasts, and celebrate with friends and family. Filled with events from early morning to late at night Eid takes up the day with face painting, praying, and enjoying time with loved ones. Traditionally, children are given gifts like candy, money, and toys. Sophomore Kenza Bey says that on Eid, people at her mosque start Eid off by praying together in the morning and then later in the day they continue the festivities with food trucks, activities, and fun. 

Eid is a very important holiday for Islam, and is important for Muslim students to get the day off. As schools have begun to expand on the holidays they recognize, there is a growing nationwide campaign to give Islamic holidays the same treatment. “It’s really important for Muslim kids to have their holidays and customs seen,” said Bey. “Just like all the Christian  holidays are recognized in schools, Muslim holidays should have the same priority.” Across the US, hundreds of schools have begun to recognize Eid as a holiday. PPS followed suit last year, but mistakenly gave the wrong day off (they got it right this year).

While Eid Fitr is now over, there is another holiday recognized just over two months after Eid Fitr. The second Eid (Eid al-Adha) is the time when many Muslims perform the Hajj, which is the pilgrimage to Mecca.