Eid Celebrations in Guyana, N.Y & Trinidad

Jul 24, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Guyanese and other Muslims across the greater New York area celebrated the auspicious Eid-ul-fitr festival last Friday (some celebrated on Saturday), marking the end of Ramadan also called Ramzan or Rojah. There were elaborate ceremonies that were carried out amidst pomp and grandeur.
As in Guyana, in NY and Trinidad, Eid was observed with great enthusiasm; even non-Muslims welcomed the celebration as it was an opportunity to receive a variety of delicious sweets from practicing Indian adherents of the faith.  Guyanese Muslims living in Trinidad partook in the celebrations attending masjid and celebrating at home. As in Guyana, Eid is a holiday in Trinidad.
As in Guyana, delicious food and soft drinks were indispensable parts of the festivity. As in Guyana, celebrants decorated their houses and prepared luscious traditional sweets and cuisines for the occasion. Green and other colorful bulbs as well as a green crescents lit up outside the homes throughout Queens among Caribbean Muslims as well around the masjids. Same was observed in Trinidad where I was invited for celebrations by Muslim friends.
Eid is known as the feast of breaking the daytime month long annual fast, one of the pillars of Islam. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan that changes from year to year. The fast began on June 17 and ended on July 17 (or 16) depending on the sighting of the moon in one’s locale. In the Middle East and Asia, the celebration was on Friday Jul 17. In Trinidad, the celebration was held on both Friday and Saturday with the official holiday being on Saturday as agreed upon by the three largest Islamic organizations representing different sects. In NY, the official school (and city parking) holiday was slated for Saturday, but parking was also suspended on Friday as well. Most Muslims in the US celebrated the festival on Friday.
At the White House, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hosted different Iftar dinner during Ramzan to break the fast in accordance with observant Muslim tradition. In Trinidad, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar joined Muslims at a mosque one evening for prayers and the breaking of the fast. The PM also hosted Eid celebration at her official residence inviting diplomats and heads of Islamic organizations and other prominent individuals. She distributed Eid gifts to guests. Earlier, on the occasion of the holiday, the PM announced discounts for several days of shopping on items used by Muslims for Eid as produced by government companies like flour and removal of the import tax on other selected items like ghee, milk, and food items.
Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley also joined Muslims for Eid prayers in San Fernando on Saturday. He also attended a breaking of the fast prayer.
Eid was celebrated with prayers inside of masjids and open air in Trinidad as well as in Queens, New York. Streets were closed off to accommodate worshippers in Richmond Hill, Flushing and in Astoria where large numbers of Muslims reside. At the compound of the Jamaica High School adjoining a Bangladeshi-oriented masjid, some 15,000 gathered outdoor for Friday morning prayers and a feast ending the fast.
As is their tradition on Eid, Muslims attended mosque for the morning prayer, followed by the sermon from the leader of the jamaat, and then a supplication asking for God’s mercy and blessings. This was followed by zakat or the obligatory act of charity to the poor, needy, the imam or mulvi, and the masjid. Celebrants consumed special dishes that are prepared on the occasion as well as kajoor.  Along with a minimum donation, Mulvis urge the more prosperous to give 2.5% of their income to the needy and to the masjid for community activities.
As in Guyana, Caribbean Muslims in New York distributed sawine (liquid and cake form) and other sweets (gulab jamun, sirni, maleda, burfi, etc.) on the occasion of Eid. Same was also done in Trinidad, Surinam and Guyana. Muslims distributed sawine and mithai to neighbors and relatives on the occasion of Eid. In Trinidad, many (non-Muslim owned) stores distributed sweets to shoppers on Saturday morning to celebrate the festival. Gifts were also distributed to Muslim friends and relatives. Political figures and organizations issued statements on the festival in Trinidad and Guyana.
In Trinidad and New York, beautiful henna designs were noticed on the hands of females who, like males, were dressed in colorful traditional garb. Beautiful design of Mehndi on the palms and feet of females of all ages, but particularly the young ladies. Celebrants wear new clothes for the occasion. The females were also decked out in bangles of various colors to go by with their dresses.
Celebrants e mbraced amidst uttering of Eid Mubarak and “A-salaam-al-likum”. Muslims invited neighbors, relatives and friends for an Eid lunch or dinner on Saturday in Trinidad.
In NY, organizations hosted communal celebrations; halls were rented for lunch and or dinners.  And entertainment parks were rented for games for the youngsters.
The next Muslim festival is Eid-ul-Adha which is in September after in the month of Haj.  It is now an official school holiday though not a public holiday for government employees.
Vishnu Bisram

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