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.

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“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.