Islamic Society Of Roosevelt Island Celebrates Eid al-Fitr "Festival Of Breaking Fast" May 2 At PS/IS 217 - President Biden Celebrates Eid al-Fitr Too, At The White House

One of the great things about Roosevelt Island is the diversity of nationalities, cultures and religions of residents living in our community. 

The Islamic Society of Roosevelt Island (ISRI) shares these photos and reports:

Here are some pictures of ISRI's celebration of Eid Al-Fitr at PS217 on 5/2/22.

As you may know, Eid Al-Fitr is a Holy day in the Islamic LUNAR Calendar, which marks the end of the Holy month of RAMADAN! Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. 

Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier each year. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar Hijri calendar with months that are 29 to 30 days long. Because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by 11 days, this means that Ramadan will also be observed twice in the year 2030 – first on January 6 and then again on December 27 – depending on the sighting of the moon. The next time Ramadan will start after April 2 will be about 33 years from now, or the year 2055.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. According to Islam, the Holly Quran was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by angel Jibreel (Gabriel) to Muhammad (the LAST Prophet to MANKIND). Therefore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam) would be closed. The first three days of the next month, Shawwal, are spent in celebration and are observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or Eid al-Fitr. 

President Joe Biden and Mrs Biden celebrated Eid al-Fitr in the White House too.