Thousands of Sask. Muslims gather to celebrate Eid, the blessed feast
Muslims from across Saskatchewan are celebrating Eid — the end of Ramadan.
Thousands of those who follow the Islamic faith gathered in Regina and Saskatoon, including about 10,000 at Prairieland Park Wednesday who joined together to celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
“Its’ a day where families come together. We have a special prayer in the morning, then we celebrate with our family, we have a feast, we exchange gifts and make donations,” Hafsa Jamil told CTV News.
Muslims celebrate this day called Eid al-Fitr, which follows 30 days of having no food or drink from sunup until sundown. It’s something that Sama Abudan says she looked forward to as a child — wanting to give back to her faith.
“It’s not hard. Actually, I feel our faith is what makes us strong to do it. Ramadan teaches us how to be self disciplined,” Abudan said.
Sama Abudan (Left) and Hafsa Jamil joined a crowd of about 10,000 to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon, April 10, 2024. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)
In Regina about 8,000 Muslims joined their community to mark the day with four separate prayers at the Conexus Arts Centre.
“We consider this the day of the gift. Allah gave us the gift today because we’ve done a lot of work. We’ve disciplined ourselves and that’s what we learned,” said Mohamed Masloh, who was celebrating in Regina.
This year’s prayer had extra significance, according to organizers.
“This year it is tinged with a recognition of the people across the world who are suffering, whether they are in Ukraine or in Gaza. It doesn’t matter, wherever people are suffering, our hearts go out to them,” said Mateen Raazi, with the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, Regina.
Worshippers, many dressed in brightly coloured outfits, greeted each other with the greeting Eid Mubarak, meaning blessed feast or festival.
For Muslims, the remainder of the day is spent celebrating with family and friends, partaking in feasts as the culmination of their festivities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.