{"id":665681,"date":"2026-03-19T01:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T01:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665681\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T01:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T01:03:14","slug":"muslim-new-yorkers-prepare-to-celebrate-eid-al-fitr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665681\/","title":{"rendered":"Muslim New Yorkers prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Muslims in New York City will celebrate Eid al-Fitr this week.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a guide to the holiday, including celebratory events happening around the five boroughs.<\/p>\n<p>What is Eid al-Fitr?<\/p>\n<p>Eid al-Fitr, or \u201cthe Festival of Breaking the Fast,\u201d marks the <a href=\"https:\/\/pluralism.org\/ramadan-and-eid-al-fitr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">end of the holy month of Ramadan<\/a>. Muslims fast from dawn to sunset during Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Fasting isn\u2019t only about not eating or drinking. Muslims are also encouraged to give charity and take part in introspection and prayer, to strengthen their relationship with God.<\/p>\n<p>People gather once the sun sets to break their fasts, typically starting with dates and water, in a tradition called iftar.<\/p>\n<p>On the day of Eid al-Fitr, Muslims attend a special prayer service in the morning before sharing meals and celebrating with their families, friends and community.<\/p>\n<p>When is Eid al-Fitr?<\/p>\n<p>This year, the holiday may fall on Thursday or Friday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamic-relief.org.uk\/giving\/islamic-giving\/ramadan\/eid-al-fitr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">depending on when the moon is seen<\/a>, in accordance with the lunar calendar.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s usually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracerelief.org\/how-long-does-eid-last-understanding-eid-holidays-in-different-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">celebrated for one day<\/a> in western countries, including the U.S. Other countries hold celebrations that last up to three days.<\/p>\n<p>What is the history of Eid al-Fitr?<\/p>\n<p>The Prophet Muhammad established Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in 624 CE, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamic-relief.org.uk\/giving\/islamic-giving\/ramadan\/eid-al-fitr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to Islamic Relief<\/a>. Eid al-Adha, also known as the \u201cFeast of Sacrifice,\u201d is held in late May.<\/p>\n<p>Eid al-Adha <a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamic-relief.org.uk\/giving\/islamic-giving\/qurbani\/eid-al-adha\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Is Eid al-Fitr a public school holiday?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, New York City public school students will have off from school on Friday, March 20 to observe the holiday.<\/p>\n<p>How is Eid al-Fitr celebrated in the city?<\/p>\n<p>Events to celebrate Eid al-Fitr are being held across the city, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/theicnyc.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Islamic Center of New York City<\/a> will be hosting an Eid al-Fitr celebration under the Washington Square Park Arch on Friday, March 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Organizers are encouraging attendees to bring their own prayer mats and chairs, as seating won\u2019t be provided.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/nyc-eid-festival-market-tickets-1982532689643\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NYC Eid Festival &amp; Market<\/a> will fill the streets of Queens with halal street food, shopping and more from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Tickets are required to attend.<\/li>\n<li>An Eid al-Fitr celebration will be held at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bklynlibrary.org\/calendar\/eid-al-fitr-celebration-cypress-hills-program-20260328-0100pm#:%7E:text=Come%20to%20the%20Cypress%20Hills,%2Dcome%2C%20first%2Dserved.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brooklyn Public Library<\/a>\u2019s Cypress Hills branch at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, featuring arts and crafts, giveaways and a read-aloud<\/li>\n<li>Eid al-Fitr at the <a href=\"https:\/\/cmom.org\/visit\/public-programs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Children\u2019s Museum of Manhattan<\/a> will feature story times, performances, henna tattoo designing and more. Events will be held from Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 20.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynkids.org\/programs\/celebrate-eid-al-fitr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brooklyn Children&#8217;s Museum<\/a> is also hosting its own Eid al-Fitr event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Children will get to experience a Sufi drumming circle, Bangladeshi dance and Turkish food.<\/li>\n<li>The City Council will hold its own <a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/events\/events\/eid-al-fitr-celebration-2026\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eid al-Fitr celebration<\/a> at City Hall on Wednesday, March 25. Numerous councilmembers, including Speaker Julie Menin, are expected to attend. Attendees are asked to RSVP.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/muslimsistersofsi.org\/event\/eid-fun-day\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Muslim Sisters of Staten Island<\/a> are hosting an Eid Fun Day on Saturday, March 28. Entry is free and activities are planned from noon to 4 p.m., according to the organization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Muslims in New York City will celebrate Eid al-Fitr this week. Below is a guide to the holiday,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":665682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,7363,7448,7366,258110,7709,405,403,50,5226,5225,5228,5227,365,52,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-665681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-app-community","tag-app-top-stories","tag-community-news","tag-erin-pflaumer","tag-holidays","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-religion","tag-top-stories","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116253150749363277","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}