INNOVATING FOR EID
Marking end of Ramadan
This year for Eid al-fitr, a celebration to mark the end of the month of Ramadan, Saskatoon mosques will be unusually quiet as Muslims mark the occasion virtually rather than holding mass gatherings.
To adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (IAS) will offer baskets to families that are filled with food, decorations and gifts to take home.
The IAS will distribute the baskets at a drive-thru at the mosque on Copeland Crescent from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“Eid itself is a day of sharing, a day of laughter,” said IAS spokesman Dr. Abdullah Patel.
“People of all walks of life come together to express their gratitude to each other. It’s a happy occasion. This year, it’s a little bit different,” he added.
If not for public health orders limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people, thousands of Muslims would have come together for the annual celebration at Prairieland Park.
Patel said that it’s disappointing not to host the large annual event, but the community is finding unique ways to maintain physical distance and have “social connectiveness.”
To help people celebrate in their homes, Patel said a virtual prayer will be streamed on Facebook on the day of Eid, along with a compilation of video of greetings from community members.
He encourages people to dress in traditional clothes as they typically would and greet their loved ones at their homes while still keeping a safe distance from the sidewalk.
Ramadan is a month of spiritual discipline and fasting from sunrise to sunset.
Charity is another important pillar in Islam. The IAS wasn’t able to host a food drive this year during the Prairieland event, but still managed to collect 800 kilograms of food in two hours for the food bank.
“Eid is the feeling of giving and hugging, and it’s such a blessed feeling,” Patel said. “But we’re trying to foster that same feeling in many other ways.”