Eidul Fitr is also fondly called ‘Meethi Eid’ by us. It is a sweet gift for us for having fasted and prayed during the month of Ramazan and a lot of sweet dishes are prepared to celebrate this first of the two main festivals of the Islamic calendar.
As Muslims all over the world celebrate this, in each country Eidul fitr is referred to in local languages in many ways and Muslims use special greetings on this occasion. Let us see what these are.
In Turkey, Eidul Fitr is called ‘Seker Bayrami’, or the ‘Festival of sweets’, with the word ‘bayram’ meaning ‘festival’ or ‘celebration’. People greet each other by saying “Bayramýnýz kutlu olsun”, meaning “May your festival be blessed, and also “Bayramýnýz mubarek olsun”, also meaning “May your festival be blessed”. And just like we say “Eid mubarak”, Turkish people also say “Happy Eid” by saying “Mutlu Bayramlar” or “Happy Bayram”.
Indonesians refer to Eid as ‘Lebaran’ and the common Eid greeting there is “Selamat Lebaran” or ‘Selamat Idul Fitri”, both meaning “Happy Eid”’
If you are in Malaysia and Singapore during Eidul Fitr, you are likely to hear these greetings: “Hari Raya Aidilfitri” or “Hari Raya Puasa”, with “Hari Raya” meaning “celebration day”.
In Nigeria, Eidul Fitr is considered a less significant festival than Eidul Azha, so they refer to it as “Small Sallah”, with “Sallah” referring to Eid in Hausa language, the main language of the largest Muslim majority tribe there. And they greet each other with the words “Barka da Sallah”, meaning “Greetings on Sallah”. — N.F.
