It is Wednesday and it is time to celebrate Eid, which is the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the holy month of fasting during which Muslims all over the world recommit to their faith by going through a cleansing process through fasting. At the end of the month, the breaking of the fast is done through an iftar (sacred meal breaking the fast of the day) with dates and sweets.
The other end of the holy time is the Eid. This is the festival celebration at the end of Ramadan and is a time to wear new outftts and perform other rituals which share this special celebration with the Muslim community.
"Today is a day of celebration. We have fasted for 30 days getting closer to our faith and being thankful for what we have," said an organizer. Families dress in their finest. a 10-year old showed her henna tattoo and shared she was here with her friends. There were colorful saris and finery to impress and give homage to the celebration.
We drove near Cal Expo and there were lines of people and the lines continued all days since this was the first public celebration since 1993.
My heart filled with joy as we held sacred space for this wonderful day. This is the heart of interfaith work. We all are on our journey home to the great spiritual mansion and part of our job is to stand with our brothers and sisters on the path. The paths are somewhat different but all point in the same direction home.
The Muslim community remind us all again it is time to come together. During the celebration there was a sermon around unity and community. This is a joyous celebration and I give such thanks. Happy Ramadan and happy Eid!
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